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.
