Prince Charles joins widow's farewell to Helmand hero

To his colleagues, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, commanding officer of the Welsh Guards, was one of the finest soldiers of his generation.

To his wife Sally and his daughters, Hannah and Sophie, he was not only "a born soldier" but also "a caring, adoring, loving" husband and father.

Today, a grieving Mrs Thorneloe was joined by the Prince of Wales, senior soldiers and politicians as her husband was given a full military funeral at the Guards Chapel in St James's.

Before the funeral, Mrs Thorneloe and other family members had a private meeting with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The Prince, Colonel-in-Chief of the Welsh Guards, knew Lt-Col Thorneloe and has described his death as "heartbreaking".

Mrs Thorneloe said after her husband's death that he had filled his family's life with "joy and happiness", adding: "His charisma, compassion and enthusiasm for all in life will be so sorely missed by his family and many friends, but most of all by me who loved him so much."

Lt-Col Thorneloe MBE, 39, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion the Welsh Guards, was killed by a Taliban bomb in Helmand province in Afghanistan on 1 July.

The service was conducted by the Rev Paul Wright, Chaplain to the Household Division, and included a tribute read by former Defence Secretary Des Browne — for whom he had worked as an assistant — and music by the band of the Welsh Guards.

Outside the neighbouring Wellington Barracks, as police searched cars and vans, crowds peered through the railings.

The officer died with 18-year-old Trooper Joshua Hammond when an improvised bomb was detonated under their Viking armoured vehicle. In a statement issued on his behalf today by the Ministry of Defence, his father John Thorneloe, himself a retired Major, thanked all those, including Gordon Brown and senior Army officers, who had paid tribute to his son.

The family also thanked the Royal British Legion and the public "for their outstanding presence" at Wootton Bassett and Oxford as the hearse carrying his body passed through the towns after its return to Britain last week.

He said: "Few officers had such a good understanding of why the British Armed Forces are in Afghanistan and what needs to be done. But he was not just a strategist. He had an excellent tactical knowledge and personal ability as well. He was a complete commander who put a huge amount into leadership of his battalion and battle group, including the families.

"A battalion could not ask for better."