Ethel Caterham, world's oldest person, turns 117 in Surrey
Ethel Caterham, the world's oldest living person, is celebrating her 117th birthday on Friday at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, marking the day with family and friends after a year that included a personal visit from King Charles at her care home. The Hampshire-born Briton remains a rare living link to the Edwardian era.
Key Takeaways
- Ethel Caterham turns 117 in Lightwater, Surrey, celebrating with family and friends.
- She became the world's oldest living person in April 2025 after Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas died at 116.
- King Charles visited her in September 2025, shortly after her 116th birthday.
- She survived Covid-19 in 2020 at age 110 and is still short of Jeanne Calment's all-time record.
For more buzz-worthy updates across our news desk, browse Fintech & Crypto Alerts on BlasterPost.
Who is Ethel Caterham and why does her birthday matter?
According to the BBC, Ethel Caterham lives at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater and is spending Friday with relatives and friends. Born in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, she was the second youngest of eight children and was raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire.
She is widely described as the last surviving subject of King Edward VII. Born three years before the Titanic disaster and eight years before the Russian Revolution, she has lived through two world wars. Guinness World Records also notes she is one of the oldest people to survive Covid-19, after contracting it in 2020 at 110.
When did Ethel Caterham become the world's oldest person?
Ethel Caterham took the title in April 2025 following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was 116. That status is why her 117th birthday in Surrey is drawing global attention today.
As a teenager she travelled to India in 1927 and worked as an au pair to a military family. She met her husband, Norman, a British Army lieutenant colonel, at a UK dinner party in 1931. The couple later lived in Hong Kong, where she set up a nursery school, and raised two daughters.
Both daughters died before her. Norman died in 1976. One sister, Gladys, also became a centenarian, living to 104. Caterham was still driving when she turned 97.
What did Ethel Caterham say when she met the King?
King Charles visited Ethel Caterham last September, just after her 116th birthday. During the meeting she recalled his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales, when he was 21, telling him: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."
Sky News reported she has framed the past year as one of "many firsts," including meeting the King and holding his hand, and said she looks forward to seeing what next year brings. She also received a card from King Charles on her 115th birthday in 2024.
Guinness World Records still credits Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment with the oldest person ever title. Calment died in 1997 at 122 years and 164 days, leaving Ethel Caterham several years short of that mark as she celebrates 117.