Lucy Worsley was born on 18 December 1973 in Reading, Berkshire, England. She is the daughter of Peter Worsley, a geology lecturer at the University of Reading, and Enid Worsley, a consultant in educational policy. Her parents encouraged academic curiosity, which helped shape her interest in history from an early age.

Worsley studied Ancient and Modern History at New College, Oxford, graduating with first-class honours in 1995. She then completed a DPhil (PhD) at the University of Sussex in 2001, focusing on architectural patronage in the 17th century.

Her professional career began in heritage and museum work. In 1995 she worked as a historic house curator at Milton Manor before becoming an inspector of historic buildings for English Heritage. In 2003 she joined Historic Royal Palaces, eventually becoming its joint chief curator.

Worsley gained national fame through television documentaries about British history on BBC channels such as BBC Two and BBC Four. Her programmes include If Walls Could Talk, A Very British Murder, and Lucy Worsley Investigates.

She currently lives in London with her husband, architect Mark Hines, and continues writing books and presenting history programmes.