Elizabeth Harcourt, née Venables-Vernon, was born around 1747 to George Venables-Vernon, 1st Lord Vernon (1709-1780) and Martha Harcourt (1715-1794), at the Venables-Vernon estate of Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire. She married (1765) George Simon Harcourt, 2nd earl Harcourt, Viscount Nuneham, (1736-1809). A favourite of Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), Elizabeth served as lady of the Bedchamber from 1784 until the queen's death in 1817. Both of the Harcourts enjoyed a very close relationship with the queen, who admired their palace at Nuneham Courtenay, and who encouraged Elizabeth in writing occasional verse which, on one occasion, was addressed to Elizabeth Montagu herself. Whilst Elizabeth Montagu's correspondence with the Harcourts across the 1780s is primarily directed to George Simon, there are four extant letters to Elizabeth from 1785-6, shortly after her appointment as Lady of the Bedchamber. Elizabeth died, likely at the Nuneham Courtenay estate, on 25 January 1826.