Prince William expressed shock and sadness Saturday at news that his former nanny’s stepson died in the New Year’s Eve truck attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed on Saturday that it was supporting the family of Edward Pettifer, 31, including helping them with the process of repatriating his body to the UK. Pettifer, from west London, is the latest victim to be identified.
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 the innocent people who have been tragically affected 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 III 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 hearts go out to other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack,” the family added.
Authorities say 14 people were killed and about 30 injured in the Wednesday morning attack carried out by Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a former U.S. Army soldier who posted several videos to his Facebook account hours before the attack , providing a preview of the violence he would unleash and proclaiming his support for the Islamic State militant group. The coroner’s office attributed the cause of death for all 14 victims to “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 .