The Duke of Edinburgh attended a funeral service yesterday in support of a royal gardener whose son was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Prince Philip passed on a tribute and condolences from the Queen at a private service for Ben Reddy, 22, at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park. Marine Reddy, whose father, Phil, tends the gardens at Windsor Castle, became the 51st British serviceman to die in Afghanistan since operations began in 2001.

He was one of 100 marines involved in the opening assault of Operation Achilles, the largest Nato operation in Afghanistan since the Taleban government was toppled in 2001.

He was killed on March 6 in Helmand province, in southern Afghanistan, while attempting to blow a hole in the wall of a Taleban compound.

The attack on the stronghold was part of an operation to clear enemy fighters from the area surrounding Kajaki Dam, which the Afghan Government is upgrading as part of reconstruction in the region.

Marine Reddy, who was part of K Company, 42 Commando, was the same age as Prince Harry, who is due to fly to Iraq in May to begin a six-month tour of duty. The Queen had granted her permission for the family to use the chapel, where the Royal Family mourned the death of the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

About 300 people attended the service.

Phil and Liz Reddy, who live in Windsor, said that the day they learned of their son’s death was the saddest of their lives. “Ben’s death has left us feeling totally empty,” they said in a statement. “He was and always will be our hero. We want to wish all the personnel serving in action abroad a safe return to their families.”

Marine Reddy joined the Commandos in 2005 and had been serving in Helmand since September. He had been due to return home in a few weeks.

Members of his unit, known as “The Knights”, paid tribute to an honest, unselfish and professional soldier.

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Holmes, Marine Reddy’s commanding officer, said: “He was always the first to offer assistance or volunteer, no matter what the danger. He was rightly very proud of his Green Beret, the outward mark of a 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. His fighting spirit was indomitable.”

Lance Corporal Lee High, who was wounded during the same assault, said that Marine Reddy was a hero and he was proud to have served alongside him. “To be as professional as he was at such a young age was really outstanding,” he said.

Buckingham Palace last night declined to comment on the service, but the Queen is said to be saddened, particularly because of the similarity in age between Marine Reddy and Prince Harry.

More than 4,500 Nato troops are 1,000 Afghan soldiers are involved in Operation Achilles, an open-ended offensive that is designed to push the Taleban back as fighting begins in earnest in the spring and summer. The 52nd British soldier killed in Afghanistan was Warrant Officer Michael Smith.

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