LONDON – The royal family on Saturday paid tribute to the Briton killed in the truck attack in New Orleans, a 31-year-old man who was Prince William’s stepson and Prince Harry’s former nanny.
Edward Pettifer was among 14 people killed when an ISIS-inspired U.S. Army veteran plowed his pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on New Year’s Day, his family confirmed Saturday.
“The entire 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,” the family said in a statement issued by London’s Metropolitan Police.
“We will all miss him very much. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost relatives due to this terrible attack. “We request that we be able to mourn the loss of Ed as a family privately,” he added.
Pettifer, from the Chelsea neighborhood of west London, was the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer. She cared for King Charles III’s children in the 1990s, when she was widely known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke.
Charles was deeply saddened after learning of Edward Pettifer’s death through official channels and has contacted the family to share his personal condolences, a Buckingham Palace source said.
William, the heir to the throne, said: “Catherine and I are shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer.”
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All but one of the truck attack victims have been identified by the New Orleans coroner’s office.
A woman whose identity is unknown was announced as the latest victim. According to the coroner’s office, efforts are underway to identify her.
All 14 victims died from blunt force trauma on Bourbon Street, the coroner’s office said.
Seven of the victims lived in Louisiana, two were from Mississippi, one from Alabama, one from New York and one from New Jersey.
News that the Briton was killed in the attack emerged when authorities revealed that Shamsud-Din Jabbar had planned to use a transmitter to detonate two explosive devices he had placed nearby.
None of the explosive devices were detonated and it is not yet clear whether the failure was due to malfunction, failure to activate or another problem.
Max Taylor, Rebecca Cohen and tom winter contributed.
