The BBC Radio 4 special features racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy, marking a poignant end to the UN’s annual campaign on gender-based violence…reports Asian Lite news
Queen Camilla has recorded a special radio broadcast with the BBC racing commentator John Hunt, whose wife and two daughters were murdered at their home in Hertfordshire last year. Louise Hunt, 25, her sister Hannah, 28, and their mother Carol, 61, were killed by Louise’s former partner Kyle Clifford at the family home in Bushey.
The Queen invited Hunt and his surviving daughter Amy to Clarence House for the recording, which will air as a New Year’s Eve edition of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. The broadcast, made on 27 November, was chaired by Emma Barnett and coincides with the final day of the UN’s “16 days of activism against gender-based violence”, a global campaign aimed at highlighting the scale and urgency of the issue.
The meeting forms part of a wider effort to honour the three women’s memory and to ensure their deaths become a catalyst for change rather than just another tragic entry in the record of domestic violence in Britain. Amy Hunt articulated this determination with stark clarity during the programme, saying: “My mum, Hannah and Louise became a statistic. They became victims of Kyle Clifford. I want to breathe life back into my mum, Hannah and Louise as fully rounded people.”
Earlier this year, Hunt and Amy spoke publicly about their shared resolve to keep the spirit of their loved ones alive. Hunt said: “From the moment I wake up, I say good morning to each of them. Sometimes I say out loud to Hannah and Louise: ‘Girls, sorry I can’t be with you, I’m with your mum at the moment’. As I close my eyes at night, I chat to them as well.” His words, included in the forthcoming broadcast, underline both the intensity of his loss and the daily rituals through which he remains connected to the women he lost.
The programme also features former prime minister Baroness Theresa May, who will guest edit Today on 31 December. Her inclusion reflects long-running political concern about the UK’s handling of domestic abuse, stalking, and intimate-partner violence. May has previously championed reforms to the criminal justice system, and her appearance is expected to broaden the broadcast’s focus beyond the personal tragedy experienced by the Hunt family.
The sentencing earlier this year of Kyle Clifford, now 27, provides a grim legal backdrop to the broadcast. In March, Cambridge Crown Court imposed a whole-life order after Clifford pleaded guilty to the murders and was convicted of raping Louise. The sentence ensures he will never be released from prison. The brutality of Clifford’s crimes — and the fact that the victims had repeatedly attempted to distance themselves from him — has reignited debate about how effectively authorities identify and manage high-risk offenders.
Alongside the broadcast, a fundraising gala for the Hunt Family Fund was held on Thursday evening, raising money for initiatives established in memory of Carol, Hannah and Louise. The fund aims to support projects that challenge gender-based violence, promote community awareness, and provide help for families affected by similar tragedies.
The Clarence House recording marks one of the most emotionally charged public engagements Queen Camilla has taken on since becoming Queen. She has made the prevention of domestic abuse and violence against women one of the central themes of her public work, often using her platform to amplify the voices of survivors and bereaved families.
For Hunt and his daughter, the broadcast represents both an opportunity to speak directly to the nation and a moment to reclaim the narrative surrounding their loved ones. Rather than allowing Carol, Hannah and Louise to be remembered solely as victims of a horrific crime, the family hope this national platform will help restore their identities as vibrant, loving and irreplaceable individuals.
The New Year’s Eve programme is expected to resonate widely — not only as a personal story of grief and resilience, but as a stark reminder of the continuing need for vigilance, reform and compassion in tackling violence against women across the UK.
