[1][2] Born in Challans, Vendée, the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder, Edmond Pierre Douet,[3] she graduated from the University of Nantes then she studied art at the École du Louvre in Paris.

[1] During World War II, she worked against the German occupation of France by helping the French Resistance.

Auriol was severely injured in a crash of a SCAN 30 in which she was a passenger in 1949—many of the bones in her face were broken—and spent nearly three years in hospitals undergoing 33 reconstructive operations.

[1] To occupy her mind she studied algebra, trigonometry, aerodynamics, and other subjects necessary to obtain advanced pilot certification.

On four occasions she was awarded the Harmon International Trophy by an American president in recognition of her aviation exploits.