Ethel Caterham is celebrating her 117th birthday. The woman holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person in the world and lives in Surrey, England. She's the first British person to live to the age of 117.
“I’ve had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings,” said Caterham to PA Media.
Caterham lives in a senior home and has become a celebrity of sorts. Last year, after celebrating her 116th birthday, she received a visit from King Charles, memorialized in a photo. The two shook hands and talked for a bit, seated across from each other at the home where Caterham lives.
© Anadolu via Getty Images“All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you," said Caterham during Charles' visit.
She also said she remembered his crowning as Prince of Wales, when he was 21 years old. "I remember when your mother crowned you in Caernarfon Castle," she said.
Caterham and the King had interacted in the past. On her 115th birthday, she received a letter from the King congratulating her on a "truly remarkable milestone."
Caterham's impressive history
© Getty ImagesDue to her age, Caterham has lived through a good number of worldly events, from a global pandemic to both World Wars. She was born on August 21, 1909, in southern England. She was one of eight siblings, as reported by CNN, and the last surviving person born during the reign of King Edward VII.
Edward was the son of Queen Victoria and had a short reign that lasted nine years. His lineage ultimately led to Queen Elizabeth, who was crowned in 1952, at the age of 25. She reigned for 70 years until she died in 2022.
Caterham has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. Even though she's the oldest British person on record, she still has a few years to go if she plans on becoming the person who's lived the longest, at least according to modern records. That title remains with the French woman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122.
© Getty Images
