[2] Her father was a patrilineal descendant of King Louis VI of France, making her a member of a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty with powerful connections.

In 1281, King Alexander III of Scotland lost his son David and two other children in the two following years, leaving his granddaughter, Margaret, Maid of Norway, as his heir presumptive.

Yolande was related to her husband, Alexander III, through shared ancestry in the French noble houses of Coucy and Dreux.

[a] After the queen dowager's pregnancy did not result in a living child, the council began preparations for Margaret of Norway to be taken to Scotland as their new sovereign.

[4] Her county of Montfort passed to her son John, who would later fight for his claim to his father's duchy in the Breton War of Succession.