Prince William 'saddened' by man's death in New Orleans attack with reported royal family ties

A young man who reportedly had ties to the British royal family was one of at least 14 people killed on Wednesday morning during the attack in New Orleans' French Quarter, officials said.

The Metropolitan Police Service reported on Saturday that Edward Pettifer, 31, of Chelsea, London was killed during the attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day.

According to Reuters and the BBC, Pettifer was the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, also known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who served as Prince William and Prince Harry's nanny in the 1990s. The Metropolitan Police Service did not confirm the relationship when contacted by USA TODAY on Saturday.

"The entire family are devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death in New Orleans," Pettifer's family said in the police service's statement. "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."

'Shocked and saddened': Prince William sends condolences

Prince William also extended his condolences to the Pettifer family on Saturday morning.

"Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer," William said in a statement on X. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack."

Former nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry

Alexandra Pettifer began working for King Charles III in 1993, not long after he separated from Princess Diana. Throughout William and Harry's childhood, she frequently joined the family on vacations and maintained a close relationship with them. In 1999, both boys attended her wedding to Charles Pettifer in 1999. And in 2018, she attended Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding. She was also named the godmother of Harry and Markle's first son, Archie.

What happened in New Orleans?

At around 3:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 1, a pickup truck drove through a crowd of people in New Orleans' French Quarter during New Year's celebrations. The driver, who has been identified by the FBI, was 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a Texas citizen.

Jabbar, who appeared to be carrying an ISIS flag, fired at police officers from inside the vehicle, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. Jabbar was fatally shot by law enforcement.

Law enforcement and officials in New Orleans have not publicly identified any of the 14 victims, but family, friends, and institutions have shared news of loved ones lost.

At least 14 people were killed, and 30 people were injured during the attack, including two police officers who were shot but are now in stable condition.

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY NETWORK; Lici Beveridge, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger; Austin Curtright, USA TODAY NETWORK; Dave Osborn, Fort Myers News-Press; Reuters

This story was updated to correct typos and clarify the name of the royal family's former nanny.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Edward Pettifer identified as victim in New Orleans attack