Ozzy Osbourne and the British Royal Family being fondly connected may appear surprising to most – and yet the Black Sabbath star enjoyed an unlikely bond with King Charles.
Heavy metal hellraiser Ozzy, known to legions of fans as The Prince of Darkness, rubbed shoulders with royalty throughout his career, which even the Brummie himself found to be quite the ‘shock’.
But the musician, who died on Tuesday aged 76, surrounded by his wife Sharon and their children after a battle with Parkinson’s, was thought to have forged a warm connection with the monarch over the years.
The pair, born just weeks apart from one another in 1948, were photographed sharing a laugh in 2006, at a reception at Clarence House, in London, for those lending their support to The Prince’s Trust 30th birthday concert.
Ozzy performed at the charity’s milestone occasion at Tower of London, alongside other artists including Lionel Richie and Annie Lennox.
However, this fun-filled exchange wasn’t the duo’s first known interaction; the King sent the Birmingham native a get-well soon gift after his quad bike crash in 2003.
He sent the singer, a recovering alcoholic, a bottle of whisky – and while the gesture was much appreciated, it wasn’t the rocker who enjoyed the beverage, his wife Sharon Osbourne later revealed in 2004.
Ahead of the King’s coronation, Ozzy told the New York Post in 2022: ‘He’s a very, very nice man. He’s always treated me with the utmost respect.’ He added: In fact, when I had my bike accident, he sent me a bottle of scotch… I wish him all the best.’
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King Charles meets Ozzy Osbourne (pictured left) and X factor finalist Chico at a reception for the people lending their support to The Prince’s Trust 30th Birthday concert, in Clarence House, London on May 18, 2006
Ex X Factor judge Sharon also opened up about His Majesty’s kind gesture, telling Talk TV previously: ‘When my husband got sick, he wrote to him.
‘He’s the same age as Ozzy, so he gets it. And he said, you know, “We’ve done very well so far, and this is just a little hurdle.”‘
In 2004, Sharon revealed the King’s royal gift to Ozzy in a pre-recorded edition of her American TV chat show at the time.
She told her audience: ‘We heard from Prince Charles and – never let anyone say he’s a bad guy cause he’s all right by the Osbournes.
‘He sent my husband a bottle of Scotch, which of course he’s not going to drink,’ she revealed.
In 2002, the Black Sabbath star was an unlikely part of the star-studded lineup at the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, where he performed Paranoid, one of the band’s most famous songs.
He joined other musicians such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, and Brian May to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 50-year reign.
Ozzy, who once reportedly counted Princes William and Harry as fans, was shocked by the invitation to appear.
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Ozzy performed at the charity’s milestone occasion (pictured) at Tower of London, alongside other artists including Lionel Richie and Annie Lennox
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Prince William talking to singers Shirley Bassey and Ozzy Osbourne when he and his brother Prince Harry joined them and other performers on stage at the end of Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee concert in 2002
‘I hardly think of myself as royal material,’ he said at the time. ‘My wife told me, and I thought “You’re pulling my leg.”‘
‘I have got no idea [why I was invited] but I hope they realise what they’ve booked. I’m a pretty loud guy you know,’ he told ITN before the concert.
‘I can’t believe it. I’m thrilled to bits. I’m so excited,’ revealed the Brummie rocker.
Insisting he’d be on his best behaviour, he added: ‘I’m hardly going to go and start ripping things’ heads off and start urinating up the side of the wall and all.’
The singer was jokingly referring to some of his most infamous moments, including when he bit the head off a bat that had been thrown on stage during a solo performance. He later claimed he thought it was made of rubber.
Another moment saw him urinate on the treasured Alamo Cenotaph in Texas, an act that saw him banned from San Antonio for a decade.
Despite his legacy and connection to the royals, Ozzy was never granted a knighthood, but not for a lack of trying from his fans.
In 2014, a devoted admirer from Sydney started an online petition, The Knighthood of Oz – and the rocker told Time Out London he was keen to become Sir Ozzy.
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Ozzy Osbourne on stage in the gardens of Buckingham Palace for the second concert to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in 2002
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King Charles meets Ozzy Osbourne (pictured left) and X factor finalist Chico at a reception for the people lending their support to The Prince’s Trust 30th Birthday concert, in Clarence House, London on May 18, 2006
‘I’ve heard about that. Getting knighted? I can’t imagine anything better,’ the singer said at the time.
‘My wife [Sharon] would become a Lady, which would be pretty cool. But I’m not gonna get upset if it doesn’t happen. I never thought I’d get further than Aston [in Birmingham, where he was born].’
Ozzy died on Tuesday after battling Parkinson’s Disease for six years, just weeks after Black Sabbath performed their final show together in their hometown.
The rocker reunited with his original bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.
After selling out in minutes, over 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park for the aptly-titled Back to the Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown – 56 years after they formed there.
The final photograph of him before his death was taken on stage as he sat on a black throne aptly decorated with a bat to perform his best-known hits for his loyal fans.
His final words on stage were: ‘It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’
A message on screen then read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.
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Ozzy has six children from two marriages, but only four of his offspring were named in the statement announcing his death (pictured with his wife Sharon, son Jack and daughter Kelly)
The Osbourne family shared the news of Ozzy’s death in a statement on Tuesday. It said: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
‘He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
MailOnline revealed on Wednesday that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne’s grand country home as paramedics battled to save his life for two hours.
Friends told the Mail’s Alison Boshoff that his heartbroken wife Sharon may now bury Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral, as she is ‘too frail’ to go through a larger, public service, leaving friends ‘terrified’ for her.
