William and Kate release statement after death of his ex-nanny's stepson in New Orleans attack

4 January 2025, 06:17 | Updated: 5 January 2025, 06:20

William and Kate have paid tribute after it was confirmed a British man, the stepson of an ex-royal nanny, was killed in the New Orleans terror attack on New Year's Day.

Edward Pettifer, 31, from Chelsea, west London, was fatally injured in the tragedy, the Metropolitan Police confirmed.

Mr Pettifer's stepmother, Alexandra Pettifer - also known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke - was a nanny to Prince William and Prince Harry.

The Prince of Wales said: "Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer.

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

Sky News understands the King was made aware of Mr Pettifer's death through official channels, was deeply saddened, and has been in touch with the family to share personal condolences.

Mr Pettifer's father Charles, a former British army officer, married Ms Legge-Bourke in 1999 shortly after she had stepped down as nanny to William and Harry.

The family remained close to British royalty and Mr Pettifer's half-brother and Ms Legge-Bourke's son Tom was a page at the Prince of Wales' wedding in 2011.

Mr Pettifer's family said they were "devastated" by his death.

"He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many," the family said in a statement.

"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."

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was "extremely saddened" over the death of Mr Pettifer.

Posting on X, Mr Lammy added: "We are supporting his family and stand united with the US against terror threats."

New Orleans' coroner said the preliminary cause of death for Mr Pettifer was blunt force injuries.

Fourteen people were killed and dozens injured when 42-year-old army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar's rented truck rammed into people in New Orleans' famous Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said the attack was "premeditated" and an "evil" act of terrorism, and added Jabbar was "100% inspired by ISIS", also known as Islamic State.

The preliminary cause of death for all the victims was blunt force injuries, according to the New Orleans coroner.

The coroner has identified most of those killed in the attack, with efforts continuing to identify the final female victim.

• Edward Pettifer, 31, from Chelsea, west London
• Andrew Dauphin, 26, from Montgomery, Alabama
• Kareem Badawi, 23, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
• Brandon Taylor, 43, from Harvey, Louisiana
• Hubert Gauthreaux, 21, from Gretna, Louisiana
• Matthew Tenedorio, 25, from Picayune, Mississippi
• Ni'Kyra Dedeaux, 18, from Gulfport, Mississippi
• Nicole Perez, 27, from Metairie, Louisiana
• Reggie Hunter, 37, from Prairieville, Louisiana
• Martin Bech, 27, from New York City, New York
• Terrence Kennedy, 63, from New Orleans, Louisiana
• Elliot Wilkinson, 40, from Slidell, Louisiana
• William DiMaio, 25, from Holmdel, New Jersey

Read more:
What we know about suspect
Did New Orleans authorities fail the victims?

An Islamic State (IS) flag, weapons, and what appeared to be an improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle used in the attack, the FBI said.

The suspect posted five videos on social media before the rampage in support of IS, the agency added.

In his first clip, Jabbar said he was planning to harm his own family and friends, but was concerned headlines would not focus on the "war between the believers and disbelievers", said Christopher Raia, deputy assistant director of the FBI's counter-terrorism division.

Jabbar also joined IS "before this summer", and provided a will, the FBI chief said.

In an interview with a Texas-based TV station, owned by Sky News' partner network NBC News, Jabbar's younger half-brother said he was thinking about all those impacted by the attack.

Abdur-Rahim Jabbar said: "This is a tragedy. We're all grieving about this."

The suspect was a Muslim, with his sibling adding: "This wasn't the man I knew. This wasn't the father, the son that I knew.

"And that also, this isn't any representation of Islam or Muslims or the Muslim community."

(c) Sky News 2025: William and Kate release statement after death of his ex-nanny's stepson in New Orleans attack