by Mick the Ram

One of the 14 people tragically killed in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year’s Day has been formally identified as being the stepson of a former nanny to Prince’s William and Harry.

31-year-old Ed Pettifer died when he received fatal trauma injuries after Texas resident and US Army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a rental truck at high-speed into a exuberant crowd, who were enjoying bringing in 2025.

Mr Pettifer’s stepmother is Alexandra Pettifer – better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke – who worked with the Royal Family for many years, often accompanying the princes on holiday and was said to be a great comfort to them both after the death of their mother in 1997.

William and Harry attended her marriage to security consultant Charles Pettifer at a private ceremony in Wales and they remain very close to her to this day.

Her stepson was a 31-year-old from Chelsea, west London, who also was well-known to and liked by all the royals and Buckingham Palace have revealed that King Charles III was “deeply saddened” when receiving the shocking news.

The Prince of Wales put out a message of condolence after hearing of the tragic loss of life of the half-brother of Ms Legge-Bourke’s son, Tom, who was page boy at William’s wedding in 2011.

Another 39 people were injured (some seriously) after what the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) say was a “premeditated” and “evil” Islamic State (IS) inspired attack, in the city’s busy French Quarter – a bustling nightspot popular with locals and tourists – at around 03:15am.

Jabbar was killed in a shoot-out with police shortly after his deadly attack.

William’s shock

The Prince of Wales has said he and Catherine are “shocked and saddened” by the death, adding: “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack.”

Prince Harry has also been informed, but it has been reported that he will not be commenting publicly on the news.

Family tribute

In a tribute, Mr Pettifer’s family described him as a “wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many” and said the whole family were “devastated and will miss him terribly”.

They asked to be allowed to grieve the loss in private.

The New Orleans coroner gave Mr Pettifer’s preliminary cause of death as “blunt force injuries”.

Mother’s close bond with princes

Ms Pettifer joined the staff of the then Prince Charles in 1993 and she became a very close companion to the young princes, initially after the separation of Charles and Diana, and then even more so following the tragic death of the Princess of Wales.

Victims from various states

All but one of the victims have been identified by the New Orleans coroner’s office and include a well-known American college football player, a young aspiring nurse and a mother of four-year-old.

Seven of the victims lived in Louisiana, two were from Mississippi, one was from Alabama, one was from New York and one was from New Jersey.

Deliberate act

The 42-year-old callously drove his pick-up truck deliberately at the crowds on the city’s famous Bourbon Street – known globally as one of the largest places for New Year’s Eve parties – filled with restaurants, bars and clubs with live music.

CCTV footage showed a white Ford F-150 racing onto the pavement to get around a police vehicle before smashing into innocent pedestrians.

Explosive devices failed to detonate

The driver then got out of the car and began firing at police officers, injuring two, but he was shot and killed following the gunfight with three responding officers.

The flag of the Islamic State group was found inside his vehicle and later two improvised explosive devices were also discovered nearby, although it remains unclear whether the failure to detonate was due to a malfunction, lack of activation or another issue.

Had left religion for long period

The FBI described his actions as “intentional”, adding that the killer was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”.

They added that they were aware that he had been raised as a Muslim, but had left the religion for many years and had only recently returned to the faith.