When the Prince of Darkness met the Prince of Wales and Queen Elizabeth II: Rock royalty's unlikely link to the monarchy
He was the self-styled Prince of Darkness, a persona that become one of music's most terrifying and enduring characters.
But behind the eye-liner and towering on-stage presence, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne –who has died aged 76 – was a family man, though his relationship with his wife Sharon and children had various ups and downs throughout his time in the spotlight.
Known for his heavy drinking, drugs and for biting the head off a live bat during a performance in 1982, the Black Sabbath frontman was also a bit of a monarchist and had several very public run-ins with the British royal family.
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Ozzy Osbourne on stage with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the Party at the Palace on June 3, 2002, celebrating 50 years of the Queen's reign. PA Images via Getty Images
'Heavy metal at the palace? I'm not sure whether the Queen is a fan'
One of Osbourne's first brushes with royalty came in 2002, when he performed for the late Queen Elizabeth II.
On June 2, 2002, Osbourne was invited to sing outside Buckingham Palace for a special concert celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee.
He sang Paranoid in front of the monarch, then-Prince Charles and princes William and Harry during the concert titled Party at the Palace.
Osbourne performed Black Sabbath's Paranoid at Buckingham Palace during Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
Joining him was Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, while Phil Collins was on the drums.
More than one million people gathered in The Mall and various London parks to watch the show celebrating 50 years of the Queen's reign.
Other performers included Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Tom Jones, S Club 7, Beach Boys frontman Brian Wilson, Emma Bunting of the Spice Girls and Ricky Martin.
(L-R) Ricky Martin, Rod Stewart, Osbourne and Cliff Richard during the Party at the Palace concert in 2002. PA Images via Getty Images
One of the highlights from the night was when Queen guitarist Brian May played God Save the Queen from the palace roof.
He also sang All You Need is Love as part of the all-star finale.
Osbourne had promised to be on his "best behaviour" that night.
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Speaking ahead of the show he said: "I'm on my best behaviour. I don't want to spend the rest of my life in the Tower.
"I mustn't drop my trousers, no bad language or perhaps a trap door will open," he told the Press Association.
Ozzy Osbourne was among a stellar cast of performers invited to Buckingham Palace in celebration of the Queen's 50 years on the throne. Tim Graham Photo Library via Get
The invitation to perform at the palace was the pinnacle of his career, he said.
"Absolutely, this means more to me than anything. These last six months, I've had such good fortune land my way.
"I keep thinking that sooner or later the bubble will burst. My wife, Sharon, keeps saying 'you're one of those guys who's not happy unless you find a dark cloud'."
Although, he originally thought the invitation was a joke.
"I'm more surprised than anybody else that I'm here," he said.
Click on the image above to explore Ozzy Osbourne's incredible life in pictures. Getty
"My wife told me and I thought 'you're pulling my leg'. Heavy metal at the palace? I'm not sure whether the Queen is a fan, but obviously she must be."
In 2008, Osbourne was asked about performing at the palace in front of the royal family.
"When I went into the palace for that f---ing thing, there were signs saying: 'No foul language,' 'No abusive terms,' 'No chasing the wild animals'," he told Classic Rock.
"I'm thinking, I'm sure this ain't for anybody else. 'Don't chase the animals.' 'Don't throw anything in the lake'… unless you've got a brick tied to your neck," he added.
Osbourne was introduced to Her Majesty on stage and later described the monarch as "a beautiful woman".
Prince of Darkness meets the Prince of Wales
In 2006, the Prince of Darkness met the Prince of Wales at an event inside Clarence House in London.
The most famous photo from that day shows the then-Prince Charles laughing while engaged in conversation with Osbourne and his wife Sharon. The Welsh singer Chico is also part of the group.
Then-Prince Charles with Ozzy Osbourne and singer Chico at Clarence House in London on May 18, 2006. Getty
It's not known what they found so amusing as details from their meeting are not available, except for the reason that saw them come together.
Ozzy was among the performers slated to go on stage for a special concert at the Tower of London celebrating the 30th birthday of Prince Charles' charity, The Prince's Trust on May 20, 2006.
A reception was held prior to the show on May 18 at Charles' London residence.
Among the other performers at the concert were Barry and Robin of the Bee Gees, Annie Lennox, Pink, Lionel Ritchie and Dame Edna Everedge.
Sharon Osbourne was at the reception with her husband, Ozzy, when they met Prince Charles. Corbis via Getty Images
He performed Crazy Train and Paranoid in front of Charles and Camilla, the then-Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince William and Prince Harry.
In an interview that aired as part of the celebrations, Prince Charles said it was his sons who kept him "in touch with what's going on".
Prince Charles and Ozzy, who were both born just one month apart in 1948, and while they are not known to have been close the Prince of Wales reportedly sent the musician a present after a nasty road accident three years before their meeting at Clarence House.
Days later, Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde performed at the Tower of London for The Prince's Trust 30th birthday celebrations. FilmMagic
In December, 2003, Ozzy was seriously injured during a quad-bike accident at his Buckinghamshire home that left him with a broken neck vertebra.
He also broke his collarbone and six ribs in the crash that happened during a day off from promoting the release of a duet with his daughter Kelly.
Prince Charles was said to have sent Ozzy a bottle of scotch as a get-well gesture.
"He's a very, very nice man," Ozzy said of Charles in 2022, soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
"He's always treated me with the utmost respect. In fact, when I had my bike accident, he sent me a bottle of scotch. I wish him all the best."
'Getting knighted? I can't imagine anything better'
Despite his lengthy career and place in music history, Ozzy did not receive any royal honours during his lifetime.
But in 2014, he responded to a 14,000-strong petition urging the Cabinet Office to nominate him for a knighthood.
The Black Sabbath frontman said he'd heard about the campaign.
"Getting knighted? I can't imagine anything better," Ozzy told Time Out.
"And 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]".
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