The UK Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that the British soldier killed earlier this week by an Afghan bomb was the platoon commander of Prince William.

Major Alexis Roberts, 32, from Kent was serving with 1st Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles. He was married and had two young daughters.

Roberts was killed in Thursday, 10 miles west of the British base in Kandahar Province, by an improvised explosive device. Two other soldiers were injured in the incident.

Kandahar province, the former heartland of the hardline Taliban militia, is one of the major battlegrounds in southern Afghanistan. Others include Uruzgan and Helmand provinces.

In a statement released today, Prince Wiliams said that he is "deeply saddened" by the death of Majors Alexis Roberts, whom he remembers with "great respect" as platoon commander and also as a good friend.

"At this time, his thoughts and prayers are with Lex's wife, Susie, their two young daughters, Alice and Freya, and with all his family and friends.” the statement reads