Wilson was born Monique Marie Mauricette Arnoux in Haiphong, Vietnam in 1923 (or possibly 1928) to French parents. Her father was an officer in the French navy. As a child, she met Wicca founder Gerald Gardner while he was working as a British customs official. The two became close, with Wilson referring to him throughout her life as "Uncle Gerald". In 1939, Wilson's father was killed, and she and her mother fled with other refugees to Hong Kong. There, Wilson would meet her husband, Campbell "Scotty" Wilson, a bomber pilot for the RAF.
