Who was Tiggy Legge-Bourke? All about Prince William and Harry’s nanny as stepson Ed Pettifer identified as New Orleans attack victim

Edward Pettifer, Tiggy Legge-Bourke's stepson, was identified as one of the victims of the recent truck attack that happened in New Orleans. Pettifer, who is said to be a resident of Chelsea, died after sustaining "blunt force injuries" after getting struck by the truck on New Year's Day.

After getting the news of his passing, Pettifer's family has been left "devastated." His family members described Ed as a "wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew, and friend to so many" and added in their statement,

"We will all miss him terribly. Our thoughts are with the other families who have lost their family members due to this terrible attack."

Edward was Charles Pettifer's son from his first marriage. Charles, a former Coldstream Guards officer, is married to Alexandra Pettifer (née Legge-Bourke), aka Tiggy Legge-Bourke. She is well-known for being a nanny to Prince William and Harry. She reportedly maintained close relations with both princes, who invited her to their respective marriages.

Alexandra Pettifer, aka Tiggy Legge-Bourke, was a nanny for Prince William and Harry

Shortly after King Charles III (then Prince) and Princess Diana separated, Tiggy Legge-Bourke was hired as a nanny and companion for the young princes. Alexandra's father was William Legge-Bourke, who served as a captain in the Royal Horse Guards. At the same time, she is the granddaughter of the late Harry Legge-Bourke, a Member of Parliament for Isle of Ely.

In 2006, an investigation report hinted at Princess Diana's suspicions of an affair between Alexandra Pettifer and Prince Charles. A letter from Diana to her former butler, Paul Burrell, allegedly talked about a conspiracy to kill her, alongside the accusation of an affair. Here's a quote from the said letter,

"This particular phase in my life is the most dangerous - my husband is planning 'an accident' in my car, brake failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for him to marry Tiggy. Camilla is nothing but a decoy, so we are all being used by the man in every sense of the word."

However, years later, it became apparent that the suspicions were sown in Princess Diana's mind after Martin Bashir reportedly showed her a faked abortion "receipt" to get an interview with the BBC.

Following Diana's BBC interview in 1995, Alexandra became the subject of unconfirmed newspaper rumors. Ultimately, after an investigation, the BBC offered damages to Tiggy Legge-Bourke in 2021. In 2022, the broadcaster also publicly apologized (in the high court) to the former royal nanny.

Despite all the allegations and rumors, Tiggy's relationship with the princes seemingly didn't change. She invited both princes to her marriage in 1999 and attended the royal weddings of Prince William and Prince Harry in 2011 and 2018.

Following the death of Tiggy Legge-Bourke's stepson in the New Orleans truck attack, Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Prince and Princess of Wales, have also shared their condolences. In a story shared on their joint Instagram account @princeandprincessofwales, the couple issues the following statement,

"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."

According to BBC, the Birmingham Palace's sources report that King Charles is also "deeply saddened" after Edward's demise. He is reportedly in contact with the family of the victim of the New Orleans attack.

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For those who don't know, a pickup truck drove into the crowd on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day at around 3:15 am. This attack is being investigated as a domestic terrorism case, which claimed the lives of at least 14 victims and injured many. The attacker, identified as a Texas-native US military veteran, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, also died on the spot after the authorities shot him down.

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