THE TELEGRAPH: The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, the British officer killed in Afghanistan, saying his death was "completely heartbreaking".
Lt Col Thorneloe, the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, was killed by a roadside bomb near Lashkar Gah in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, on Wednesday along with 18-year-old Trooper Joshua Hammond, of 2nd Royal Tank Regiment.
The Prince of Wales, who knew the officer, paid tribute to him and Trooper Hammond. The Prince, who is colonel of Lt Col Thorneloe's regiment the Welsh Guards, said he had been "mortified" when he heard of the deaths.
Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, also paid tribute to Lt Col Thorneloe, the most senior British Army officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War.
The Prime Minister, speaking on a visit to the Christie Hospital in Manchester, said: "I think the whole country will be mourning today."
And Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth paid tribute to Lt Col Thorneloe saying he was a "leader of men".
The Prince, during a visit to Cornwall, said: "Having been colonel-in-chief of the Welsh Guards for the last 34 years, as you can imagine it is a wonderful family regiment and having been involved for those 34 years I've seen sons and grandsons go through the regiment," he said.
"As you can imagine, the shock and horror that has affected the whole of the regiment family was quite dramatic.
"I was horrified to say the least about both deaths, Trooper Hammond as well. >>> Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent | Friday, July 03, 2009
