Queen shares rare recording of Freddie Mercury being secretly filmed rehearsing for their Magic tour

Much to the delight of fans, Queen has shared a rare glimpse into their preparations for the 1986 Magic Tour.

Uploaded to YouTube as part of their video series The Greatest Live, the rockers cut classic footage from the Magic shows with a secretly taped film from rehearsals.

The "rare gem" - which was unearthed decades after it was filmed - invites viewers to become a fly on the wall as Freddie Mercury leads Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon through 'Tear It Up,' 'I Want To Break Free' and 'Now I’m Here.'

Speaking about the video, the band's multimedia collaborator Simon Lupton said: "We don't know who shot it, but it was clearly someone with access to the rehearsals who took the initiative and shot it on their home movie camera.

"From the angles and quality, it certainly wasn't official and the band – and presumably management – were unaware ... it would have been very much frowned upon at the time."

He added: "The tape came to light in about 2003, I think when a collector unearthed it thinking it was a copy of the TV broadcast of Live at Wembley, only to discover this rare gem."

The Magic Tour tour saw Queen play 26 dates at some of Europe and the UK's most iconic stadiums over an eight-week period – including their concert at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, which would prove to be their last concert with Mercury.