Queen praises the Hunt family for their bravery after triple murders

Queen Camilla has praised the bravery of BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his family – after his wife Carol and two daughters, Louise and Hannah, were murdered by Louise’s ex-partner.

In a conversation with John and his surviving daughter, Amy, the Queen also publicly shared for the first time her experience of an indecent assault as a teenager.

The Queen was speaking during a discussion about violence against women on BBC Radio 4’s Today program – guest edited by former Prime Minister Baroness Theresa May.

The Queen told the BBC she had been “so angry” and “furious” about the attack, which was first reported in a book earlier this year.

She said she had “kind of forgotten” what happened to her, but that the courage of the Hunt family had pushed her to talk about her experiences.

She recalled being on her way to meet her mother when “this boy – man – attacked me”, adding: “I fought back”.

John and Amy Hunt spoke to the Queen – and Emma Barnett from the Today program – at Clarence House. The conversation was part of a broader discussion about combating sexual and domestic violence – and the power of talking about experiences and trauma.

“I remember something that has been lurking in the back of my mind for a long time,” the queen told them. “Being attacked on a train as a teenager… I remember being so angry at the time,” she said.

The Queen recalled getting off the train and “my mother looked at me and said, ‘Why is your hair standing on end and why is the button of your coat missing?’ I was attacked.”

She added: “I was so furious about it and… when the topic of domestic abuse came up, and suddenly you hear a story like John and Amy’s, it’s something I feel very strongly about.”

The indecent assault was reported for the first time in Power and the Palace, a book released earlier this year by former Times newspaper royal editor Valentine Low.

According to the book, the Queen was 16 or 17 years old when the incident happened on the train to Paddington Station.

It reported how the man touched then-teenager Camilla Shand and that she then hit him with the heel of her shoe. When she arrived in London, she reported the incident to station staff and the man was arrested, the book said.

Buckingham Palace made no official statement when the story was first reported.

After hearing the Queen’s story, Amy Hunt told her, “Thank you for sharing this, Your Majesty. It takes a lot to share these things because every woman has a story.”

The interview focused on the grief and strength of the Hunt family and their determination to protect the memory of Carol, Louise and Hannah, who were all murdered by Kyle Clifford at their family home in Hertfordshire in July 2024.

“It remains very difficult from minute to minute,” Hunt told the BBC.

“You must try to find the strength in our position to arm yourself with as many tools as possible that will help you get through the next hour.”

Mr Hunt, his daughter, Baroness May and Queen Camilla all agreed that education is key to ensuring women’s safety. And they all shared concerns about the online radicalization of young men.

“Unfortunately it’s something that goes largely unchecked,” Amy Hunt said of social media, “it’s allowed to happen somewhat unchecked.”

When men don’t have “the best examples in life,” they often look online for guidance, she added, finding “easy answers” in people like self-described misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate.

Mr Hunt said he had been “surrounded by fantastic men, fantastic role models” all his life.

“To see this very dark world open up to me in the strongest way possible was shocking and something I had to navigate very quickly: I had to educate myself,” he added.

Queen Camilla spoke about her work with victims of domestic violence and said the focus should be on ensuring young men do not become violent partners as adults.

“They may have had parents or relatives who abused them or did horrible things to them. So they’re almost raised to believe that it’s a natural thing to do,” she said.

“But if you can get them early enough and teach them respect for women, I think it’s so important to get into schools… and the more I look at it, it’s the most important thing we can do right now.”

Baroness May brought together the Hunt family and Queen Camilla in her role as guest editor of the Today programme.

In 2015, Theresa May, as Home Secretary, introduced the offense of coercive and controlling behavior as part of the Serious Crime Act. During her time as Prime Minister she unveiled plans for a domestic abuse bill, and since leaving, Baroness May has supported campaigns against sexual and domestic abuse.

The former Prime Minister also spoke about her concerns about the influence of the online world.

“What people can see online is so important – because the law is not going to stop someone who is so imbued with that sense of anger and violence that they want to go out and do something like this,” she said.

“But we can try to stop that through… the education they get, and showing them those positive male role models so that they are less influenced by the negative sides that they see.”

Queen Camilla is patron of the domestic violence charity SafeLife and has worked with a number of other organisations, including Refuge.

“This is an epidemic that does not discriminate,” says Refuge chair Hettie Barkworth-Nanton.

“The more the Queen is willing to share her own experiences, not in a ‘poor me’ way, but in a way that helps people recognize that so many are affected by this, the better… she helps give survivors a voice.”

Mr Hunt’s strong bond with his daughter, alongside their desire to create a powerful legacy from what happened to their family, was evident during the Today interview.

“I think it’s really important to remember that they had a sad death, but not a sad life. Their life was full of love, joy, happiness and fun,” Mrs Hunt said.

Mr Hunt told the Queen and Baroness May that his daughter’s strength had been a great comfort even as they were still working through things.

‘I’m amazed that we are as good as we are. At the risk of embarrassing Amy, she has been my best counselor from the beginning. We talk all the time.

“I used to say, ‘I couldn’t do it without you,’ but now I say, ‘I can do it with you,’” he said.

They have established The Hunt Family Fund to support charities and projects that will inspire young women. It will work with initiatives around domestic violence and abuse, as well as getting involved in issues that Carol, Louise and Hannah enjoy, including animal charities, which Ms Hunt said was Louise’s “main passion in life”.

At the end of the conversation, the Queen told Mr Hunt and Mrs Hunt: ‘I just want to say, wherever your family are now, they would be so proud of you both. Thank you.

“And they have to smile at you from above and think, my goodness, what a wonderful, wonderful father, husband, sister.

“They would just be so proud of you both.”

To listen back to the full guest edit of the BBC Radio 4 Today program with Baroness Theresa May go to BBC Sounds