Prince William Reacts to Nanny’s Stepson’s Death in New Orleans Attack

Prince William expressed his condolences after learning his former nanny’s stepson, Ed Pettifer, was one of the victims in the New Orleans attack on New Year’s Day.

“Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettfer,” William, 42, wrote in a Saturday, January 4, Instagram Story statement, also mentioning wife Princess Kate Middleton. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack.”

William signed the note with a “W,” his personal designation based on his first initial.

A 42-year-old Texas man drove a rented truck through a crowd on New Orleans’ famed Bourbon Street on Wednesday, January 1. Pettifer, who was 31, was one of at least 14 fatalities. The driver was shot and killed during a shootout with police.

“The entire family is devastated at the tragic news of Ed‘s death in New Orleans. He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many,” a Saturday statement from Pettifer’s family read, shared with London’s Metropolitan Police. “We will all miss him terribly.”

The statement continued, “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.”

Pettifer was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who previously worked as a nanny for William and his brother, Prince Harry, when they were children. (William and Harry, 40, are the sons of exes King Charles III and the late Princess Diana.)

“[She was] our favorite nanny, to be accurate, though Tiggy couldn’t stand being called that,” Harry recalled in his Spare memoir. “She’d bite the head off anyone who tried. ‘I’m not the nanny, I’m your friend!’ Mummy, sadly, didn’t see it that way. Mummy saw Tiggy not as a nanny, but as a rival. It’s common knowledge that Mummy suspected Tiggy was being groomed as her future replacement. (Did Mummy see Tiggy as her Spare?)”

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As noted in the passage, Harry also named his 2023 memoir after the notion that he was brother William’s “spare” in the line of succession. William is the direct heir to father Charles, 75, as the regent of England. Harry immediately followed until William and wife Kate, 42, welcomed their three children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

While Harry is now the fifth in line for the British throne, he stepped down from his position as a senior working royal in 2020. Harry and his wife Meghan Markle now live in Montecito, California with their two children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. Harry has not yet publicly addressed Pettifer’s death.