King Charles's guards pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with Black Sabbath classic
Ozzy Osbourne maintained a cordial relationship with the British royal family over the years
Ozzy Osbourne received an extraordinary royal send-off this week, as soldiers at Buckingham Palace honoured the late heavy metal icon in a way only the British could.
On July 30, during the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony, the Band of the Coldstream Guards stunned onlookers with a unique rendition of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid, a nod to the “Prince of Darkness,” who passed away on July 22 at the age of 76.
Fan-shot footage of the performance quickly went viral on TikTok, with viewers praising the moment as a powerful collision of British tradition and rock legend.
“This is Britishness at its best,” one commenter wrote, while another said: “Proudest I’ve felt of this country for about 15 years.”
The tribute came on the same day as Osbourne’s funeral procession in Birmingham, where mourners packed the streets in a display of public grief reminiscent of a royal farewell.
The legendary Black Sabbath frontman maintained a cordial relationship with the British royal family over the years.
He performed at the Party at the Palace in 2002 for Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee and later met then-Prince Charles at Clarence House in 2006 during an event for The Prince’s Trust.
Following King Charles’ accession in 2022, Osbourne spoke warmly of the monarch. “He’s a very, very nice man. He’s always treated me with the utmost respect,” he told The New York Post.
“In fact, when I had my bike accident, he sent me a bottle of scotch… I wish him all the best.”
