Prince William expressed shock and sadness Saturday at the news that his former nanny’s stepson died in the New Year’s Eve truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people and injured others dozens of others.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it was supporting the family of Edward Pettifer, 31, including helping them with the process of returning his body to the UK. Pettifer came from west London.
In a statement on social media, the Prince of Wales said he and his wife, Catherine, were “shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who were tragically injured by this horrific attack.
Pettifer was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was the nanny to William and his brother, Prince Harry, between 1993 and 1999, including after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. Legge -Bourke, who is also known as Alexandra Pettifer, was regularly photographed with Diana.
British media also reported that King Charles would be deeply saddened by the news and sent his condolences to Pettifer’s family.
In a statement, Pettifer’s family said they were “devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death” and described him as “a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many people.”
“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack,” the family added.
The British Foreign Office also said it supported Pettifer’s family and was in contact with US authorities.
Authorities say 14 people were killed and around 30 others injured. attack early Wednesday by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier who posted several videos to his Facebook hours before the attack, announcing the violence he would unleash and proclaiming his support for the Islamic State militant group. The coroner’s office said the cause of death for all 14 victims was “blunt force injuries.”
Jabbar, 42, was fatally shot during an exchange of fire with police at the scene of the fatal crash on Bourbon Street, famous worldwide for its party atmosphere in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter .
