Ethel Caterham, a British woman, celebrated her 117th birthday on August 21, becoming the first British person ever to reach this age and be certified by the Guinness World Records as such. She is also the 13th person globally to reach this milestone.
Throughout the years, Caterham has shared her secrets to longevity in interviews, saying, “I listen to what others say, and then do things my way,” emphasizing that she never engages in arguments.
She has two daughters, three granddaughters, and five great-grandchildren. Caterham spends her days basking in the sun in her garden, listening to bird songs, smelling flowers, and occasionally playing trivia games and listening to her favorite singers when feeling well.
The Guinness World Records organization extended birthday wishes to her in a statement. Ben Meyers, the CEO of LongeviQuest, a longevity research institute, mentioned that a Frank Sinatra tribute singer was invited to perform at her birthday party, singing her favorite song “Three Coins in a Fountain.” Caterham herself expressed gratitude for the birthday wishes, stating, “Even at 117, I have experienced many ‘firsts’ this year, including petting a llama and holding hands with the king.”
The mention of “holding hands with the king” refers to an encounter where King Charles visited the nursing home in September 2025 when she had just turned 116. Multiple media outlets reported that during the meeting, she reminisced with the King about watching his investiture as the Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969, telling him, “All the girls were in love with you back then, wanting to marry you.”
Caterham was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, and grew up in Wiltshire, being the seventh of eight children in her family. According to her memories over the years, her upbringing was very humble, with no electricity or running water at home, and the family grew their own vegetables and raised pigs.
At the age of 18, she traveled to India to work as a nanny for a British family, taking a three-week boat journey alone and living there for three years before returning to England in 1931. After coming back, she met her future husband, Norman Caterham, a British Army Major, at a party. The couple later stationed in Hong Kong where Caterham established a kindergarten and taught English, only returning to the UK in 1960.
Caterham was recognized by the Guinness World Records in the spring of 2025 as the oldest living person globally, and the last living subject born during the reign of King Edward VII, as well as the longest-lived person with recorded documentation in the UK. Currently, the longest human longevity record remains held by French woman Jeanne Calment, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.