He was the younger son of Henry, 3rd Lord Percy, and Mary of Lancaster, daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster, son Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster, son of Henry III of England. Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland was his elder brother, and Henry 'Hotspur' Percy was his nephew.
Worcester fought against France in the Hundred Years War, and then served in various governing posts in English-controlled France, as ambassador, and as Admiral. He was created Earl of Worcester in 1375.
Along with his brother and nephew, he took part in Henry IV's deposition of Richard II, and in their subsequent rebellion against Henry. He was captured at the Battle of Shrewsbury and beheaded two days later.