Ekaterina Semenovna Vorontsova was born on October 24, 1784, in St. Petersburg and died on March 27, 1856, in London. She was the daughter of Semyon Vorontsov, who served as the Russian ambassador to Great Britain from 1785, and the only sister of Prince Mikhail Vorontsov, the governor of New Russia and the Caucasus. Ekaterina was also the niece of Princess Dashkova, a well-known companion of Catherine the Great and a participant in the coup that led to the overthrow of Tsar Peter III and the ascension of his wife to the throne.

In 1808, Ekaterina married George Herbert, the 11th Earl of Pembroke, becoming his second wife and receiving the title of Countess of Pembroke, Lady Pembroke. She became the owner of Wilton House in Wiltshire. In August 2008, an exhibition dedicated to her life, titled 'Through the Eyes of the Russians,' was held at the Wilton estate in Salisbury. Ekaterina Semenovna Vorontsova was buried in the Church of St. Mary and St. Nicholas in Wilton, which was built at her initiative.