Prince William and the royal family paid tribute to the British man killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans.
Edward Pettifer, 31, has been identified as one of the victims of 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.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS OF THE TERRORIST ATTACK IN NEW ORLEANS
Prince William and the royal family paid tribute to the British man killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans. (London Metropolitan Police/Audrey Conklin/Fox News Digital/Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)
“Catherine and I are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” read a statement posted on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people tragically affected by this horrific attack.”
The statement was concluded with the letter W, as Prince William signed the acknowledgment posted on social networks.
In the 1990s, Pettifer’s stepmother, Alexandra “Tiggy” Legge-Bourke, was nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Pettifer family shared the statement he issued London Metropolitan Police.
Royal Nanny “Tiggy” Legge-Bourke with Prince William and Prince Harry in 1994. (Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)
“The whole family is devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to many.
“We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack. We ask that we can mourn the loss of Ed privately as a family. Thank you.”
King Charles was reportedly deeply saddened to learn of Pettifer’s death and has been in contact with the family to offer his personal condolences, according to Reuters.
“Catherine and I are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” read a statement posted on the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales. (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 stopped working as a nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.
The family remained close to the British nobility, and Pettifer’s half-brother Tom was a page to William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011.
At least 14 people were killed in Wednesday’s attack and dozens more were injured, the FBI said.
A memorial to those killed in the New Year’s Eve terrorist attack on Bourbon Street after the street reopened in New Orleans on Friday. (Kat Ramirez for Fox News Digital)
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Heartbroken family and friends set out to identify the growing number of victims after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, identified by police as the man who carried out the attack, drove his pickup truck into a large crowd on Bourbon Street.
Jabbar was “determined to create the carnage and damage that he did,” said New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
Law enforcement officers from multiple agencies on Bourbon Street after at least 14 people were shot and killed in the early hours of New Year’s Day in New Orleans. (Michael DeMocker/Getty Images)
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“It was very intentional behavior,” he said superintendent of police added. “This man was trying to run over as many people as he could.”
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Alex Nitzberg, Danielle Wallace and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
