British woman, Ethel Caterham, recognised as the world’s oldest living person, has celebrated her 117th birthday with family and friends.
Caterham, who lives at a care home in Surrey, marked the milestone on Friday, becoming the first British person known to have reached the age of 117, according to Guinness World Records.
Reflecting on the celebration, Caterham told the UK’s PA Media news agency, “I’ve had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings.”
Brazilian João Marinho Neto, the world’s oldest living man, also sent Caterham birthday wishes from Brazil, according to Guinness World Records.
The centenarian has previously received a visit from King Charles III.
The monarch met her in September 2025, shortly after she turned 116.
During their meeting, Caterham recalled Charles’ 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.”
Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Caterham is the second youngest of eight children and is now the last surviving person born during the reign of King Edward VII.
Her extraordinary life has covered more than a century of major historical events, including two World Wars, the sinking of the Titanic, the Russian Revolution and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Caterham contracted Covid-19 in 2020 at the age of 110 and became one of the oldest known people to survive the virus.
At 18, she travelled alone to India, where she worked as a nanny for a military family.
She later met British Army Major Norman Caterham at a dinner party in 1931, and they married two years later.
The couple lived in Salisbury before spending time overseas, including in Hong Kong, where Caterham established a kindergarten.
They eventually returned to Britain and raised two daughters, both of whom have since died.
Her husband died in 1976. Caterham now has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.
Despite reaching the remarkable age of 117, she remains below the verified record for the longest human lifespan.
That record belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.
