The Duke of Sussex attended church with his wife Meghan and the Queen yesterday to pay tribute to a Royal Marine who died in Afghanistan 13 years ago.
Ben Reddy, 22, was killed when K Company of 42 Commando came under fire from militants in the volatile Helmand province on March 6, 2007.
And Harry attended a service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park yesterday in memory of the Marine as a plaque was unveiled in his memory.
Prince Harry and Meghan attended a service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park yesterday (left) as a plaque was unveiled in memory of Royal Marine Ben Reddy (right)
Marine Reddy lived with his parents Liz and Phil Reddy at their home in Windsor Great Park, where Mr Reddy worked as a gardener for the Queen for many years.
Harry, who is Captain General of the Royal Marines and served in Afghanistan soon after Marine Reddy’s death, wanted to attend the service, reported The Times.
He was close to tears at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday night as he received a long round of applause during his final engagement as Captain General.
Wearing a red ceremonial uniform, Harry was visibly moved and appeared to bite his lip upon receiving a standing ovation at the Mountbatten Festival of Music.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the Queen for the church service in Windsor yesterday
Following Marine Reddy’s death in 2007, the Queen sent a personal message of condolence to his father
Senior royal sources said at the time that the death of Marine Reddy brought into sharp perspective for the Queen the risks of Harry’s deployment to Iraq.
He was the 51st British serviceman to die in Afghanistan since 2001 and the ninth Marine killed since they took over the main infantry fighting force from the Paras.
Marine Reddy, who was said to have been ‘particularly close’ to his family, died as his unit launched an assault on insurgents near the strategically important Kajaki Dam.
The Queen arrives for the church service at Windsor Great Park yesterday
The Marines were trying to clear a safe area around the dam, enabling engineers to upgrade a power station, when they came under fire.
Marine Reddy had served in Afghanistan for nearly six months and had been due home within weeks.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence after their son’s death, they said: ‘This is the saddest day in our lives.
‘Ben’s death has left us feeling totally empty. He was, and always will be, our hero.’
Prince Harry (right) or just plain Captain Wales as he is known in the British Army, racing out from the VHR (very high ready-ness) tent to scramble his Apache with fellow Pilots, during his 12 hour shift at the British controlled flight-line in Camp Bastion in Afghanistan in 2012
His comrades in K Company said: ‘Ben’s absence will be profoundly felt within K Company. We have lost a vibrant, unique character with an irrepressible sense of loyalty to his comrades. But, most of all, we have lost a true friend.’
Marine Reddy’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, said: ‘He was rightly very proud of his Green Beret, the outward mark of the Commando soldier.
‘However, the real display of his Commando qualities was in his daily actions with K Company, and he had acquitted himself well fighting alongside his colleagues on numerous occasions.
‘Courageous and proficient when in contact with the enemy, his fighting spirit was indomitable.’
Prince Harry sits in his position on a Spartan armoured vehicle in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan in February 2008
Meghan met the Queen for the first time yesterday since she and Harry announced they are to quit as senior royals.
The couple attended the church service in Windsor with Her Majesty as they prepare to leave the royal household in a little over three weeks.
They will take part in their final royal engagement today when they will join the Queen and other senior royals at Westminster Abbey to mark Commonwealth Day.
It will be the first time the Royal Family has come together in public since the Sussexes announced they were stepping down.
Prince Harry meets band members as they attend the Mountbatten Music Festival at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Saturday evening
Guests of honour among the 2,000-strong congregation will include the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Commonwealth secretary-general Baroness Scotland, high commissioners, ambassadors, faith leaders and more than 800 schoolchildren.
Yesterday Harry smiled and appeared relaxed as he drove Meghan to the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park.
It was the first time that the duchess has seen the Queen since the couple dramatically announced on January 6 that they would be retiring from public life.
Prince Harry opens The Royal British Legion Wootton Bassett Field of Remembrance in 2010
While Harry has sat down with the Queen on several occasions since, Meghan has stayed in Canada with their son Archie.
But any hopes that she may have had of seeing her great-grandson were dashed because Archie remains on Vancouver Island.
The Sussexes are expected to return to Canada next week, and their new life away from royal duties will officially start on April 1.
Harry will remain sixth in line to the throne, despite stepping down as a senior royal.