Met the police
King Charles is deeply saddened by the death of a British man killed in a vehicle attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, according to palace sources.
Edward Pettifer, 31, who was among 14 people killed in the attack, is the stepson of Alexandra Pettifer, formerly known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, who cared for Prince William and Prince Harry when they were children.
The king has been in contact with Mr Pettifer’s family to express his personal condolences, palace sources told the BBC.
In a tribute, Mr Pettifer’s family described him as a “wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend to so many”.
The Jan. 1 attack saw a 42-year-old U.S. Army veteran drive a pickup truck into crowds along New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street before being shot and killed by police.
The New Orleans coroner gave Pettifer’s preliminary cause of death as “blunt force injuries,” PA reports.
The Prince of Wales has been informed of Mr Pettifer’s death, Kensington Palace announced.
Prince Harry has also been informed but will not comment publicly on the news.
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The suspect, named Shamsud-Din Jabbar, is believed to have acted alone in a “premeditated and evil act,” the FBI said.
An Islamic State group flag was found inside the vehicle.
Two improvised explosive devices were also discovered nearby, according to police.
-A famous American college football player, a young aspiring nurse and a mother of a four-year-old child are among the victims.
At least 39 people were also injured in the attack, which took place around 3:15 a.m. (0915 GMT) on Wednesday in the city’s French Quarter, a lively nightspot popular with locals and tourists.
Some of the injured have been released from hospital, but more than a dozen remain, some being treated in intensive care.
Mr Pettifer, from Chelsea, London, was named by the Metropolitan Police as one of the victims on Saturday morning.
His family said in a statement that they were “devastated by the tragic news of Ed’s death in New Orleans.”
“We will all miss him terribly. Our hearts go out to other families who have lost family members to this terrible attack.
“We ask that we be able to grieve the loss of Ed as a family privately. THANKS.”
In a statement, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said it supported Mr Pettifer’s family.
Ms Pettifer joined King Charles’s staff in 1993, when he was Prince of Wales.
She became a close companion of the young princes after the separation of Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Mrs. Pettifer often accompanied the two princes on vacation, and after Diana’s death, she helped them adjust to the loss of their mother.
In 1999, Ms Pettifer – née Legge-Bourke – married security consultant Charles Pettifer in a private ceremony in Wales, attended by William and Harry.
