Queen Camilla has taken part in a powerful radio discussion with
BBC horse racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy,
offering her support as the family continues to navigate the grief
left by the murders of Mr Hunt’s wife and two daughters.
Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah Hunt, 28, and their mother
Carol Hunt, 61, were murdered by Louise’s former partner at their
in Hertfordshire last year.
The conversation, recorded at Clarence House and due to be aired
on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on New Year’s Eve, forms
the centrepiece of a special edition guest-edited by former Prime
Minister Theresa May. It marks the culmination of the UN’s annual
campaign against gender-based violence – a context not lost on
those present.
Camilla, who has made the issue a cornerstone of her public
work, welcomed the pair into the Garden Room for what Palace aides
described as a “reflective and compassionate” exchange. Those who
attended said the Queen listened intently as John and Amy spoke
about the family they had lost.
The mother and daughters were killed last July in their home in
Bushey, Hertfordshire. Their deaths, and the subsequent trial,
prompted a national outpouring of sympathy for the family.
Clifford, the perpetrator, is serving a whole-life sentence.
While the programme will inevitably touch on the criminal case,
the emphasis of the meeting – and of the Hunt family’s wider
efforts – is firmly on remembrance. John and Amy have created the
Hunt Family Fund to support initiatives that champion the
aspirations of young women, reflecting the spirit, interests and
promise of the three who died.
A fundraising gala in support of the new charity was held on
Thursday evening, with donations expected from across the racing
and broadcasting worlds. Friends describe the event not as a
memorial, but as a way of ushering something “constructive and
hopeful” out of unimaginable loss.
During the recording, Amy spoke of her determination to preserve
the individuality of her mother and sisters – “to make sure they
are remembered as people, not as a headline,” she has said
previously. Her father has described how he continues to talk to
them each morning and night, a ritual that steadies him as he
attempts to rebuild their family’s life.
Those familiar with Camilla’s work on domestic abuse say she was
“deeply moved” by the encounter. She has long argued that stories
of violence against women must be met with unflinching public
attention, and the decision to participate in this broadcast is
understood to have been hers.
The Queen’s contribution to the programme is expected to be
measured in tone — characteristic of her interventions on the
subject — but those present described the session as unusually
intimate. For the Hunts, it offered an opportunity to highlight the
charitable fund that now bears the names of the three women. For
Camilla, it provided a platform to champion a cause she has pledged
to prioritise throughout her reign.
Radio 4 will broadcast the discussion on 31 December as part of
the network’s end-of-year programming. For the Hunt family, the
hope is that listeners will come away remembering Carol, Hannah and
Louise for who they were — and for the good that may yet be done in
their name.
