World’s oldest person celebrates 117th birthday in UK - What is the secret to her longevity?

The world’s oldest person is celebrating her 117th birthday today, after a year of “many firsts” - including meeting King Charles.

Ethel Caterham, who lives at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, UK, is spending the day with her family and friends to mark the occasion.

In a statement, she said: “Thank you for all of the kind birthday wishes. Even at 117, I’ve had many firsts this year, from stroking a llama to holding hands with the King.”

Indeed, she was visited by King Charles last September, just after her 116th birthday. During their meeting, she recalled his 1969 investiture as the Prince of Wales, when he was 21, telling him: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."

King Charles is the sixth person to sit on the British throne since Caterham was born in Hampshire on 21 August 1909, five years before the start of the First World War. She is the last surviving subject of Edward VII, who died in May 1910.

Caterham inherited the title of Oldest Person in the World in April 2025 following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas at the age of 116.

So, what is the secret to reaching 117? The centenarian attributes her longevity to three simple secrets: avoiding arguments, listening to others, and doing what she likes.

Caterham is one of the oldest people to survive Covid-19, after contracting it in 2020 at the age of 110, according to Guinness World Records.

Caterham met her husband Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, at a dinner party in the UK in 1931. The pair later lived in Hong Kong, where she set up a nursery school. They raised two daughters, both of whom died before her.

Norman died in 1976, while one of her sisters, Gladys, also became a centenarian, living until she was 104.

The title of the oldest person ever is still held by Jeanne Calment, the French woman who died in 1997 having lived to 122 years 164 days.