Prince William ‘shocked and saddened’ by death of former nanny’s stepson in New Orleans terrorist attack

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

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

Pettifer was from London, and his stepmother is a former nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry. 

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Prince William and the royal family paid tribute to a British man killed in the New Orleans terrorist attack.  (London’s Metropolitan Police/Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital /Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)

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

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

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

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

The Pettifer family shared a statement issued by London’s Metropolitan Police. 

Royal Nanny “Tiggy” Legge-Bourke with Prince William and Prince Harry in 1994. (Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)

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“The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans. 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. We request that we can grieve the loss of Ed as a family in private. Thank you.”

King Charles was reportedly deeply saddened to learn of Pettifer’s death and had been in touch with the family to pass on his personal condolences, according to Reuters.

“Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” a statement shared on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram said.  (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 had stepped down as nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.

The family remained close to British royalty, and Pettifer’s stepbrother 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 of others were injured, the FBI said.

A memorial for those killed in the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack on Bourbon Street after the street’s reopening in New Orleans Friday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)

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Heartbroken family and friends moved to identify the growing number of victims after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who law enforcement has identified as the man who carried out the attack, plowed a pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon Street.

Jabbar was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and damage that he did,” New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick said.

Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies on Bourbon Street after at least 14 people were killed in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans.  (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)

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“It was very intentional behavior,” the superintendent of police added. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could.”

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