A Royal Salute to the Prince of Darkness: Coldstream Guards Perform “Paranoid” in Honor of Ozzy Osbourne
July 30, 2025 — As Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral procession made its solemn journey through the streets of Birmingham, a striking and unexpected tribute unfolded 120 miles away in London. At Buckingham Palace, during the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony, the Band of the Coldstream Guards traded their traditional marches for something truly extraordinary: a soaring, brass-laden rendition of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid.”
What followed was a moment that stunned onlookers and made headlines around the world — a rare intersection of royal pageantry and rock ‘n’ roll rebellion, honoring a man who had long defied expectations and redefined music history.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards, dressed in their signature red tunics and bearskin hats, stood tall before the gates of the palace. But as the crowd gathered, expecting Elgar or Handel, the unmistakable opening riff of “Paranoid” blasted through the air — not through a guitar, but via horns, snares, and bass drums. A gasp rippled through the audience, quickly followed by roaring applause and teary-eyed fans raising their hands in devil horns in the shadow of the Queen Victoria Memorial.
It was a surreal sight: tourists frozen in awe, Royal Guards nodding ever so slightly to the beat, and even palace staff peering from behind the gilded railings, visibly moved. For a man once banned from certain cities, the transformation into a British icon couldn’t have been more complete.
Though the royal family had already paid their respects in private — with Prince William and Princess Kate attending the private funeral service alongside Ozzy’s family — this public gesture marked a profound shift. It was a state-sanctioned acknowledgment that Ozzy Osbourne was not merely a rock star, but a national treasure.
A palace spokesperson confirmed later that the choice of music had been approved “as a mark of respect for a legendary British musician whose cultural impact will be felt for generations.” They added, “Ozzy Osbourne represented a uniquely British kind of spirit — bold, unconventional, and utterly unforgettable.”
For fans, the moment was nothing short of transcendent. Some had gathered outside the palace unaware of what was to come. One fan, clutching a tattered Sabbath T-shirt, whispered through tears, “I came to mourn him from afar. I never thought I’d hear ‘Paranoid’ played by the royal guard. He’s part of history now — part of all of us.”
Others shared videos online that quickly went viral, capturing not only the music but the unlikely emotion that swept through the crowd. “Never thought I’d cry at the Changing of the Guard,” one caption read. “This one’s for you, Ozzy.”
In Birmingham, Ozzy’s coffin, adorned with black roses and a lone crucifix, continued its slow procession through the city streets. Thousands lined the route in silence, broken only by the echo of Sabbath songs playing softly from portable speakers and pubs along the way. Unbeknownst to them, in London, a royal salute was being sounded — not with cannon fire, but with the pounding drums and rising brass of the Coldstream Guards, as they played the song that launched a global movement.
Ozzy Osbourne had always straddled the line between madness and majesty, between darkness and defiance. On July 30, that balance was sealed forever in British memory — when the guardians of royal tradition raised their instruments not for a king or queen, but for the Prince of Darkness himself.
A moment of music. A moment of mourning. And a moment that proved, once again, that Ozzy was never just a man. He was — and remains — a legend.
