The world’s oldest living person, British supercentenarian Ethel Caterham, quietly celebrated her 116th birthday on Thursday, months after she assumed the title following the passing of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas.
Her care home in Surrey, south of London, said Caterham planned to spend the day with family, enjoying the milestone “at her own pace.”
Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, southwest England, Caterham has lived through two world wars and witnessed over a century of change.
She now holds the record as the world’s oldest person according to the US-based Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database, following Canabarro’s death at 116 in April.
Although Caterham is the oldest person alive, the record for longest-lived human still belongs to Jeanne Calment of France, who reached 122 years and 164 days before her passing in 1997.
“Ethel and her family are so grateful for all of the kind messages and interest shown to her as she celebrates her 116th birthday this year,” her care home said in a statement, stressing that she would not be granting media interviews. “The king (Charles III) may be her one concession, understandably.”
Caterham is a great-grandmother and the last surviving subject of King Edward VII. She has outlived her two daughters and her husband, Norman, who died in 1976. Today, she has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Her remarkable life has been marked by resilience. She only gave up driving shortly before turning 100, continued playing bridge well into her later years, and even survived Covid-19 at age 110 in 2020.
Asked about the secret to her longevity, Caterham once replied, “Never arguing with anyone! I listen and I do what I like.”
For her 115th birthday last year, she received a congratulatory letter from King Charles, who hailed her achievement as a “truly remarkable milestone.”
Reflecting on her journey during an interview in 2020, Caterham told the BBC that she had “taken everything in my stride, the highs and lows.”
Meanwhile, Britain also recently lost its oldest man, John Tinniswood, who held the title for eight months before passing away last November at 112.
