NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles’ guards honored Ozzy Osbourne at Buckingham Palace following the rocker’s death
- The Band of the Coldstream Guards performed the Black Sabbath song “Paranoid” during the Changing of the Guard ceremony
- Osbourne shared a supportive word for King Charles following his accession to the throne
King Charles‘ soldiers honored Ozzy Osbourne with a musical tribute following the Prince of Darkness’ death.
On July 30, fan footage shared to TikTok showed the Band of the Coldstream Guards performing the Black Sabbath song “Paranoid” during the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
“This is awesome. Proudest I’ve felt of this country for about 15 years,” one commenter wrote below the video.
“This is Britishness at its best,” another said. “RIP Ozzy.”
The Changing of the Guard is a royal ceremony in which active-duty soldiers who have been on patrol exchange places with the next rotation, with the “Old Guard” and “New Guard” swapping spots to the tune of music by a military band.
The guards honored the late Black Sabbath rocker on the day of his funeral procession in Birmingham, England, where crowds lined the streets in a reaction reminiscent of the public mourning of a royal death.
Osbourne died on Tuesday, July 22, at age 76, over five years after he announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2003.
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty
The heavy metal legend performed from a throne at the Black Sabbath farewell concert on July 5 in his hometown of Birmingham.
“That show meant everything,” a source previously told PEOPLE. “It brought his career full circle.”
The rocker-turned-reality star crossed paths with the British royals several times through the years. He performed at the “Party at the Palace” concert celebrating Queen Elizabeth‘s Golden Jubilee at Buckingham Palace in 2002 and mingled with the future King Charles at a reception for his charity, then called The Prince’s Trust, at Clarence House in 2006.
Cathal McNaughton-Pool/Anwar Hussein Collection/Getty
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Following King Charles’ accession to the throne upon Queen Elizabeth’s death in September 2022, the “Crazy Train” singer shared a supportive word for the new sovereign.
“He’s a very, very nice man. He’s always treated me with the utmost respect,” Osbourne told The New York Post. “In fact, when I had my bike accident [in 2003], he sent me a bottle of scotch… I wish him all the best.”