Christabel Mary Carlisle was born on 1 March 1939. She is the daughter of Kenneth Ralph Malcolm Peter Carlisle and Hon. Elizabeth Mary McLaren.

With no great racing ambitions, she competed in a few rallies just for fun in the Mini her father bought her for her 21st birthday. She went to Brands Hatch with friends and was decidedly unimpressed and said that the only way she would ever go racing again would be if she was driving.

Thus it came to pass that she entered her 850 Mini in a race at Silverstone on June 25th, 1960. This was the date that marked the start of Christabel Carlisles racing career in a Mini 850. This was her only race of that year and unfortunately she slid off at Copse, however she went on to race Minis for three seasons from 1961 until 1963.

In 1961 she was refused an entry in the saloon car support race for the British Grand Prix, but in her first race that year, the Ladies Invitational at Brands, she won. She followed that up with second in class at a Snetterton 3 hour race, still driving her trust 850 mini, finishing behind John Whitmore. Back at Brands she gave Vic Elford a good run finally finishing second and pushing a certain Steve McQueen into third.

At a test session at Silverstone in 1961 she had caught the eye of Marcus Chambers, the competitions manager at BMC, and for 1962 she was given a 997 Mini Cooper S by the factory to replace her now rather tired road car. She started the year driving in the Monte Carlo Rally with John Sprinzel in an MG Midget. On the circuits, in a very competetive season, she was the main competition to the official works team and at Goodwood beat all three of the works Coopers. She raced in Europe as well, driving at the Nurburgring with John Whitmore in the Six Hour race (retired) and two races in Denmark at Roskilde, taking two class wins.

In 1963 she drove in the Monte Carlo Rally again this time with Timo Makinen in an Austin Healy 3000. From there she travelled to America to race in the 12 Hours at Sebring and at the Nurburgring, she drove a fine race in the Sebring Sprite to finish ahead a most of the Porsche Carreras. Back in a Mini, she finished third at Crystal Palace and in the Six Hours at the Nurburgring she took a class win. In the Six Hour Saloon Car race at Brands she took the Ladies' prize, driving with Denise McLuggage. At the Grand Prix meeting at Siverstone she entered two of the support races. After taking third in the saloon car race she drove a Sprite in the GT race. Unfortunately exiting Woodcote in a close race with two other cars, she spun and hit the pitwall. A marshal was standing in front of it and received fatal injuries. Cleared of any blame it was too much and she never raced again.

In January 1965 she married Sir James Andrew Watson, 5th Barronette and became Lady Watson. 

At 50 Lady Christabel Watson climbed Mount Gondogora in the Himalayas and celebrated her 60th birthday by walking from one end of the UK to the other.

•  1961
  
  • Brands Hatch, August, Ladies Invitation Race: 1st.
  • Snetterton, September: 2nd in class to John Whitmore
  • Brands Hatch, October: 1st Vic Elford, 2nd Christabel Carlisle, 3rd Steve McQueen.
• 1962
  
  • Monte Carlo Rally with John Sprinzel finishing 4th in class.
  • Racing a Mini Cooper entered by Don Moore. Main opposition came from the works Cooper Team whose drivers were: John Whitmore and John Love with either Tony Maggs or Bill Blydenstein.
  • Silverstone, March: Fastest Class Lap.
  • Snetterton International Meeting, March: 1st John Love, 2nd John Whitmore, 3rd Christabel Carlisle.
  • Goodwood Easter Meeting: 1st in Class.
  • Aintree International "200" Meeting, May: 1st John Love, 2nd John Whitmore, 3rd Christabel Carlisle, 4th Tony Maggs, (Carlisle overtook Maggs on the inside of Melling Crossing on the last lap, having slipstreamed him up Melling Straight for the previous 3 laps.)
  • Brands Hatch, May: 1st in Class.
  • Crystal Palace, Whit Monday meeting: Carlisle led from lap 4 having overtaken Love and Whitmore, until the final lap when her clutch went on the penultimate corner. She set a new Class record.
  • Nurburgring 6hr, June, with Peter Galliford: 2nd in Class.
  • Aintree, July: 1st John Love, 2nd Christabel Carlisle, 3rd john Whitmore.
  • Brands Hatch, August Bank Holiday: At Paddock Bend on the first lap Nicky Bryne, in his Mercedes, spun in the wet immediately in front of Christabel Carlisle, taking her off the circuit. From 26th she fought her way through the field finishing 8th and 3rd in Class.
  • Roskildering, Denmark, August: 1st in 1000cc Class and 1st in upto 1300cc Class.
  • Brands Hatch, October, 6hr race with Peter Galliford: 2nd in Class. 6th overall.
  • Snetterton, September, Invitation race for Morris 1100s: 5th out of the following 12 starters: Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, John Surtees, Jim Clark, Roy Salvadori, Trevor Taylor, Mike Parkes, Tony Maggs, Jon Whitmore, Alan Hutcheson, Don Morley and Christabel Carlisle.
    
• 1963
  
  • Again racing a Mini Cooper looked after by Don Moore. The Cooper works team members this year were; Love, Whitmore, Paddy Hopkirk and John Rhodes.
  • Oulton Park, Spring Meeting: 2nd to Whitmore and Fastest lap.
  • Goodwood Easter Meeting: 2nd to Whitmore.
  • Nurburgring 1000km, May, with Clive Baker in an Austin Healey Sprite: 2nd in Class.
  • Crystal Palace, Whit Monday: Separated the Cooper Team on the final lap - 1st Whitmore, 2nd Hopkirk, 3rd Carlisle, 4th Rhodes.
  • Nurburgring 6hr, June with Christopher McLaren: 1st in Class and Fastest Lap.
  • Mt Ventoux Hill Climb, June: 2nd in Class.
  • Brands Hatch, July, 6hr Saloon Car Race with Denise McCluggage: 3rd in Class, Ladies Award.
  • Snetterton, July: 2nd in Class and Lap Record.
  • Silverstone, British Grand Prix, July: Last Race, 3rd behind Cooper Team.