London, July 4 Prince Charles has paid tribute to Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, a close friend, whose "heartbreaking" death in Afghanistan has left him "mortified".

Charles, the colonel-in-chief of the Welsh Guards, had met the high-flying officer and his wife Sally many times.

"Having met the families and having met Col Rupert's wife, my heart is very much with them. It goes to show the troops out there are meeting daily horrors. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude," The Sun quoted Prince of Wales, as saying.

The Prince inspected the Welsh Guards in February at their barracks in Aldershot before they left for Afghanistan.

"The whole battalion is suffering. It is a wonderful family regiment I've been involved with for 34 years. To lose a commanding officer who was such an inspiring person is an awful tragedy," Prince Charles said. (ANI)