Since the election, I’ve avoided the news for the most part, and during the holidays, I completely tapped out of even reading the headlines. So, I’m playing catch-up – on New Year’s Day, an American citizen named Shamsud-Din Jabbar carried out a terrorist attack in New Orleans’ French Quarter. Jabbar lived in Texas and he rented a pickup truck there, then drove the truck to NOLA and used the truck as a weapon, intentionally driving the truck into a huge crowd of people on Bourbon Street. Fifteen people died, including Jabbar. It also appears that Jabbar was affiliated with or inspired by ISIS. The attack is being investigated as terrorism and people have been playing politics with all of this for days. The names of the victims were released on Friday and Saturday, and as it turns out, one of the victims had a connection the British royal family. One of the victims was Edward Pettifer, and he was the stepson of Tiggy Legge-Bourke. Tiggy was Prince William and Harry’s nanny and friend. Tiggy is also Prince Archie’s godmother.
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.
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 posted a statement on social media and, as People Mag notes, King Charles has been in touch with Tiggy and her husband. It’s been clear that William and Harry kept in touch with Tiggy into adulthood, but I didn’t know that Charles still speaks to Tiggy. Anyway, this story is so sad. The whole thing is awful. 2025 got off to a horrendous start and it’s just going to get worse after the inauguration.
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. W
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 4, 2025
The royal family pays tribute to the British man killed in the New Orleans attack, a 31-year-old who was the stepson of Prince William and Prince Harry’s former nanny. https://t.co/0evfHxkKpM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 4, 2025
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
