"Briton killed in New Orleans attack was stepson of ex-royal nanny"
He was one of 14 people killed by a U.S. Army veteran who had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State and drove a truck into a crowd of revelers.
British police have identified one of the victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans as Edward Pettifer, a 31-year-old Londoner whose stepmother once served as a nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.
Pettifer was among 14 people killed when a US Army veteran, who had pledged allegiance to Islamic State, drove a truck into a crowd of revelers.
“The entire family is devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans,” the Pettifer family said in a statement released by London’s Metropolitan Police. Prince William and his wife, Kate, also expressed their sorrow, saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the tragedy.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Pettifer family and all the innocent people affected by this horrific attack,” William shared in a message on social media.
A royal source confirmed that King Charles was deeply saddened by Pettifer’s death and had personally reached out to the family to offer his condolences.
Edward Pettifer’s father, Charles, a former British Army officer, married Tiggy Legge-Bourke in 1999, shortly after her tenure as nanny to William and Harry. The family maintained close ties with the royal family, and Pettifer’s stepbrother, Tom, served as a page at William’s wedding in 2011.
