New Orleans attack victim identified as stepson of Prince William’s former nanny

Prince William and the royal family have paid tribute to a Briton killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack.

Edward Pettifer, 31, was identified as one of the victims involved in the Bourbon Street attack in the early hours of New Year’s morning.

Pettifer was originally from London and his mother-in-law is a former nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.

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“Catherine and I were shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” said a statement shared on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pettifer family and all the innocent people who have been tragically affected by this horrific attack.”

The statement ended with the letter W, as Prince William signed the tribute posted on social media.

In the 1990s, Pettifer’s stepmother, Alexandra “Tiggy” Legge-Bourke, was the nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Pettifer family shared a statement released by the London Metropolitan Police.

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“The entire family is devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many.

“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack. We ask that we can mourn Ed’s loss as a family in private. Thank you.”

King Charles was reportedly deeply saddened to learn of Pettifer’s death and contacted the family to convey his personal condolences, according to Reuters.

Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Pettifer’s father, Charles, a former British army officer, married “Tiggy” in 1999, shortly after she left her position as nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.

The family has remained close to British royalty, and Pettifer’s half-brother Tom was a page at William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011.

At least 14 people were killed in Wednesday’s attack and dozens more were injured, the FBI said.

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Heartbroken family and friends decided to identify the growing number of victims after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who law enforcement identified as the man who carried out the attack, sped away with a van into a large crowd on Bourbon Street.

Jabbar was “determined to create the carnage and the damage he caused,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said.

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“It was very intentional behavior,” added the police commissioner. “This man was trying to crush as many people as possible.”

Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Alex Nitzberg, Danielle Wallace and Chris Pandolfo of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.