London, Jan 4 (PTI) The UK royal family were among those leading the tributes as it emerged on Saturday that a British national was among 14 killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans in the US on New Year's Day.

Edward Pettifer, 31, was the stepson of Prince William's former nanny, Alexandra Pettifer, and the Prince of Wales said in a statement released by his Kensington Palace office in London that his prayers were with the bereaved family.

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Buckingham Palace sources said that William's father, King Charles, was “deeply saddened” by the death and has been in touch with Pettifer's family to share personal condolences.

“Catherine and I have been shocked and saddened by the tragic death of Ed Pettifer,” reads the statement on behalf of William and wife Kate.

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“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Pettifer family and all those innocent people who have been tragically impacted by this horrific attack,” it adds.

Pettifer's family said they were “devastated” by his death.

“He was a wonderful son, brother, grandson, nephew and a friend to so many. We will all miss him terribly. 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,” reads the family statement.

Pettifer's father, a former British army officer, is said to have married Edward's stepmother in 1999 – shortly after she had stepped down as nanny to Princes William and Harry. The family remained close to the British royal family over the years.

Wednesday's terror attack involved a 42-year-old US army veteran Shamsud-Din Jabbar driving a rented pick-up truck into crowds along New Orleans' Bourbon Street before being shot dead by police.

Investigations later indicated he had links with the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist network.

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Extremely saddened to hear the tragic news that a British man was among those killed during the attack in New Orleans.”

“We are supporting their family and are united with the US against terror threats,” he said.

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