King ‘deeply saddened’ as stepson of Harry and William’s former nanny named as victim of New Orleans attack

A British man killed in the New Orleans terror attack has been identified as the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former royal nanny.

Edward Pettifer, 31, was among 14 people who lost their lives when a pick-up truck ploughed into crowds on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter on New Year’s Day.

Mr Pettifer was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who served as nanny to the young princes from 1993 to 1999.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles was “deeply saddened” by the news and has personally reached out to the family to express his condolences.

The attack, carried out by a US army veteran with suspected Islamic State links, claimed the lives of Mr Pettifer and 13 others in the popular tourist district.

The New Orleans coroner reported Mr Pettifer’s preliminary cause of death as “blunt force injuries”.

The Foreign Office confirmed it is providing support to the family of the British victim.

The King was informed of Mr Pettifer’s death through official channels and immediately reached out to the bereaved family.

Mr Pettifer was the eldest son of Charles Pettifer, 59, a former Coldstream Guards officer, and Camilla Wyatt, 58, daughter of a racehorse breeder.

His father later married Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who had known Charles since their teenage years and was already Edward’s godmother.

Ms Legge-Bourke proved instrumental in supporting Princes William and Harry following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and has maintained close ties with both royals.

The couple had two sons together: Fred, 23, who is Prince Harry’s godson, and Tom, 22, who is Prince William’s godson.

Mr Pettifer’s half-brother Tom gained public attention when he served as a page boy at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011, aged eight.

Tom was later photographed at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 2018 with his mother at age 15.

Ed Pettifer’s family released a statement following his death saying: “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.”