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Queen Camilla has met BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy for an emotional radio broadcast, months after the brutal crossbow murders that tore their family apart.
The Queen welcomed the pair to the Garden Room at Clarence House for a deeply moving discussion following the killings of Hunt’s wife Carol, 61, and daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25.
All three were murdered by Louise’s ex-partner, Kyle Clifford, who carried out an almost unimaginable spree of violence at the family’s £800,000 home in Bushey on July 9 last year.
Clifford, an ex-soldier, was later jailed for life after pleading guilty to the murders and being convicted of raping Louise.
The meeting forms part of John and Amy’s mission to keep the memories of their loved ones alive.
Together they have launched The Hunt Family Fund, created in honour of Carol, Hannah and Louise to support causes that help and inspire young women.
A fundraising gala will take place on Thursday night, with a silent auction offering experiences including behind-the-scenes access to Match of the Day, a tour of Michael Owen’s stables, and a luxury Paris weekend for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Clifford, 27, refused to attend court for his sentencing — a final act of cowardice after months of inflicting horror on the Hunt family.
He had also refused to appear at his trial, despite forcing witnesses and relatives to listen to devastating details of his crimes after denying the rape of Louise, even though he admitted the murders.
The Queen has recorded a radio broadcast with BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy, whose family were murdered at their home
Louise Hunt (left), Hannah Hunt (centre) and Carol Hunt (right), who were murdered in their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire
John Hunt is pictured with his wife Carol, who was killed alongside two of their two daughters
Earlier this year, John Hunt described his daily grief, saying: ‘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. So yeah, very close (to me) all the time.’
Amy, determined to restore dignity to the memories of the three women, said: ‘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.’
Hate-filled misogynist Clifford fuelled his fury by watching obnoxious Andrew Tate videos the day before he murdered ex the three women.
Carol was butchered with a ten-inch knife at the family home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, before evil Clifford waited for Louise to come in and subjected her to a two-and-a-half-hour rape ordeal, during which she was bound and gagged with duct tape.
He then shot her through the heart with a crossbow and did the same to her sister when she got home moments later.
Clifford admitted the three murders, false imprisonment and possession of weapons but forced Louise’s family and friends to hear harrowing evidence at the trial after denying the rape.
The killer’s brother Bradley is serving life with a minimum 23 years for murder after ramming a moped driver with his car following a dispute over a women.
Traumatised Mr Hunt and his eldest daughter, Amy were not at home during Clifford’s rampage.
Louise Hunt (pictured), who was formerly in a relationship with Clifford, was killed alongside her mother and sister in the crossbow attack in Bushey in July last year
Kyle Clifford (pictured) raped and murdered his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt, 25, and killed her mother, Carol, 61, and sister Hannah, 28
Friends had noticed how Louise started wearing less makeup and wasn’t allowed to see male friends on her own during the 18-month relationship with Clifford.
Her growing doubts came to a head on June 22 last year when they went to a friend’s wedding in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, and he ‘belittled’ her by boasting about sleeping with other women and mocking her cooking.
She dumped him shortly afterwards, unaware he had had at least two affairs while they were together.
On July 9 – having bought a murder kit including the crossbow, knife, duct tape, rope and other paraphernalia – Clifford turned up at the £800,000 detached family home to enact what the prosecution called his ‘violent, sexual act of spite’.
He talked his way in, telling kindly Carol he had a farewell card for the family and was also dropping off some of Louise’s belongings.
Her obvious fear at his appearance was caught on audio from two security cameras at the house as she admitted she felt like she’d seen a ‘ghost’.
It would also record screams from the women as they were murdered, one by one, and the ‘whooshing’ sound of the crossbow as bolts were unleashed.
After a jury took just 45 minutes to convict Clifford unanimously of rape, Mr Justice Bennathan said: ‘It’s unspeakable what friends and family have witnessed in this court.’
Brave Hannah managed to call 999 as she lay dying. All three women were declared dead at the scene.
Clifford was found hiding in Lavender Hill Cemetery, near his home in Enfield, north London, the following day.
He shot himself with the crossbow as officers approached and was left paralysed from the chest down.
The Hunt family say they will never stop fighting for the memories of the three women.
The broadcast — which also features former prime minister Baroness Theresa May and is chaired by BBC broadcaster Emma Barnett — will air as a special edition of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme on December 31.
The timing coincides with the final day of the UN’s 16 days of activism against gender-based violence.