LONDON (Reuters) – British police have named one of the victims of the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans as Edward Pettifer, a 31-year-old Londoner whose stepmother was a nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.
He was among 14 people killed by a U.S. Army veteran who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and plowed a truck into a crowd of revelers.
“The entire family is devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans,” Pettifer’s family said in a statement issued by London’s Metropolitan Police.
William said he and his wife Kate were “shocked and saddened” by the news.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically affected by this horrific attack,” he said in a message on social media.
A royal source said King Charles was also deeply saddened to hear of Pettifer’s death and had contacted the family to convey his personal condolences.
Pettifer’s father Charles, a former British Army officer, married Tiggy Legge-Bourke in 1999, shortly after she stopped nannying William and Harry.
The family remained close to British royalty and Pettifer’s half-brother Tom was a page at William’s wedding in 2011.