Royal family pays tribute to Prince William, Harry's nanny who lost stepson in New Orleans attack

Prince William shared his condolences to the family of his former nanny after her stepson was killed in the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans. 

“Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” he wrote on social platform X on behalf of himself and his wife, the princess of Wales.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack," he added.

Pettifer, 31, was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who was the nanny for both William and his younger brother, Prince Harry, between 1993 and 1999, which included time after the death of their mother Princess Diana in 1997, according to The Associated Press. He resided in Chelsea, London.

Fourteen people were killed early Wednesday when Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove a rented pick-up truck through a crowded Bourbon Street in the first ISIS-inspired attack on U.S. soil since 2017. More than 30 were injured in the terror attack. 

Pettifer was the final victim of the attack to be identified, the AP reported.

In a statement from the London Metropolitan Police, the family shared their grief over the loss of Pettifer. 

“The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death in New Orleans,” they stated. “He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many.” 

“We will all miss him terribly,” the family continued. “Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack. We request that we can grieve the loss of Ed as a family in private.” 

The London police department is providing support to the family, including the repatriation and coronial processes.