‘I’ve had many firsts this year’

A British woman recognized as the world’s oldest living person celebrated her 117th birthday on Friday.

Ethel Caterham, who was born on Aug. 21, 1909, in Hampshire, England, earned the world’s oldest distinction from the Guinness Book of World Records in April 2025 following the death of Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, a 116-year-old Brazilian nun. 

“Even at 117, I’ve had many firsts this year, from stroking a llama to holding hands with the King!” Caterham said in a statement to Yahoo provided by her care home in Surrey. “I’ve had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings!” 

King Charles visited Caterham last September, shortly after her 116th birthday.

During their meeting, Caterham recalled his investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969, when he was 21 and she was 59.

“All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you,” she told him.

When Caterham was born, Charles’s great-great-grandfather, Edward VII, was king.

According to London’s Telegraph newspaper, she was the second-youngest of eight siblings, including a sister, Gladys, who lived to be 104.

Caterham outlived her husband, Norman, a British Army lieutenant colonel who died in 1976, and their two daughters. 

And while she may be the oldest living person, Caterham is not the oldest ever. According to Guinness World Records, that title belongs to Jeanne Calment, a French woman who lived to be 122. 

Calment credited olive oil, port and chocolate for her longevity.

So what’s Caterham’s secret? “Never arguing with anyone,” she said shortly after becoming the world’s oldest person. “I listen, and I do what I like.”