Penelope Tree was discovered at 13 by photographer Diane Arbus, but her career only started at 17 when she was photographed at Truman Capote’s famous Black and White Ball. The next day, Richard Avedon and Diana Vreeland were determined to make her into a model, and her distinctive beauty, doe eyes and gangly presence turned her into a household name and a representative of the swinging 60's in London. She left modeling for several decades but in recent years Penelope has worked for Burberry, Fendi and Valentino.

She is known for her charity work with the non-profit organization Lotus Outreach. Has two children, Paloma and Michael.