When she was younger, she was jealous of the Wendy character in the Disney film Peter Pan (1953), because that Wendy got to swordfight and fly. She enjoys ice skating, art and listening to rap and hip-hop music.

She found out about the role of Wendy in Peter Pan (2003) after her grandparents saw an advert on television. They contacted Rachel's mother and when she came home from school one day her mother started measuring her, when she found Rachel was in the height requirements, she said Rachel could audition.

She has often said she does not plan on continuing to have a career of being an actress. In 2003/2004, she said she loves dolphins and hopes to become a marine biologist. In a September/October 2009 interview with Little White Lies magazine, she said she wants to teach, do speech therapy, or work with autistic children, in which she also stated, "It was never my goal to be an actor".

Sister of Patrick Hurd-Wood. Lives in a cottage at the edge of a forest with her parents and brother in Godalming, Surrey, England. Daughter of Philip Hurd-Wood and Sarah Hurd-Wood.

She attended Rodborough Technology College from 2001-2006. The school is located in Milford, Surrey, England. Is half Irish. Studying Linguistics at University College London.

Her father Philip Hurd-Wood is a voiceover artist and actor. Her mother Sarah is a housewife. Born in Streatham, England before moving to Surrey, England with her parents when she was eight years old.

Ranked as having one of the "Most Beautiful Famous Faces" for 3 consecutive years by "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World". She was ranked #54 in 2010, #16 in 2009, and #36 in 2008.