Stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s Former Nanny Killed in New Orleans Terror Attack: ‘Shocked and Saddened’

January 10, 2025 Duy191098 Blog 0

The stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke has been named as one of the victims in the Jan. 1 attack

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Published on January 4, 2025 11:25AM EST
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Edward Pettifer
Edward Pettifer. Photo: met police

A man with close ties to the British royal family has been identified as one of the 15 victims killed in the New Orleans attack on Jan. 1.

Edward Pettifer, the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke, died from “blunt force injuries” after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, drove a truck into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street, the Metropolitan Police confirmed in a news release.

The 31-year-old, who lived in Chelsea, West London, had been visiting Louisiana with a friend, UK newspapers The Times and The Sun reported.

Legge-Bourke, 59, married Edward’s father, former Coldstream Guards officer Charles Pettifer, in 1999. She worked as a nanny for William, 41, and Harry, 40, shortly after King Charles and Princess Diana’s separation in 1993 to 1999.

PEOPLE understands that King Charles is upset by the tragedy and has expressed condolences to the family.

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - FEBRUARY 17: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Royal Nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at Zurich Airport to begin a sking holiday in Klosters on February 17, 1994 in Zurich, Switzerland.
Prince Charles, Prince William and Harry and their former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke, arriving at Zurich Airport in Switzerland in February 1994. Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty

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Legge-Bourke was close with William and Harry as their nanny and remains so years later. The brothers attended her wedding and she attended theirs in 2011, and 2018 respectively. She is also godmother to Harry and Meghan Markle’s son Prince Archie.

Prince William shared a statement on his Instagram Stories, saying: “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.”

The FBI announced the death toll in the deadly New Orleans attack at 15 people as of Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 1.

BBC Panorama court case. Alexandra Pettifer, better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, a former nanny to the Duke of Cambridge, outside the High Court, central London, after the BBC agreed to pay her substantial damages over "false and malicious" allegations about her used to obtain Martin Bashir's 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales. Picture date: Thursday July 21, 2022.
Tiggy Legge-Bourker pictured outside the High Court in London in July 2022.Aaron Chown/PA Wire

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Edward’s family said in a statement shared by police, “The entire family is devastated at the tragic news of Edward‘s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew, and a friend to so many.”

“We will all miss him terribly,” they added. “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. Thank you.” 

Members of the National Guard and police look on at a blocked off street, a block from Bourbon Street, after at least 15 people were killed during an attack early in the morning on January 1, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana. A US army veteran with an Islamic State flag and "hellbent" on carnage steered a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year revelers in New Orleans on January 1, killing at least 15 people and wounding dozens, officials said. The FBI identified the attacker as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas.
Members of the National Guard and police look on at a blocked off street in New Orleans after the Jan. 1 attack.ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty

Authorities confirmed that Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, plowed a Ford pickup truck through Bourbon Street at around 3:15 a.m. local time in initial reports.

The New Orleans Police Department previously confirmed that Jabbar died in a shootout with police at the scene.

The FBI said they are “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations,” per a news release.