A young man who reportedly had ties to the British royal family was one of at least 14 people killed on Wednesday morning during the attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter, officials said.
The Metropolitan Police Service reported on Saturday that Edward Pettifer, 31, of Chelsea, London was killed during the attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.
According to Reuters and the BBC, Pettifer was the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, also known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who served as Prince William and Prince Henry’s nanny in the 1990s. The Metropolitan Police Service did not confirm the relationship when contacted by USA TODAY on Saturday.
“The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death in New Orleans,” Pettifer’s family said in the police service’s statement. “He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many. We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack.”
Prince William also extended his condolences to the Pettifer family on Saturday morning.
“Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” William said in a statement on X. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack.”
Alexandra Pettifer, also known as Tiggy, began working for King Charles III in 1993, not long after he separated from Princess Diana. Throughout William and Henry’s childhood, she frequently joined the family on vacations and maintained a close relationship with them. In 1999, both boys attended her wedding to Charles Pettifer in 1999. And in 2018, she attended Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. She was also named the godmother of Harry and Markle’s first son, Archie.