115-YEAR-OLD BRITISH GREAT-GRANDMOTHER BECOMES WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON

SURREY, UK • Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old British great-grandmother, has officially become the world's oldest living person. Residing in a Surrey care home, she received a personal letter from King Charles III congratulating her on this "remarkable milestone." Still mentally sharp, Caterham attributes her longevity to avoiding arguments and prioritizing family.

Surrey, UK, May 1, 2025 – 1:37 PM – A 115-year-old British great-grandmother has officially become the world's oldest living person this week, according to available international data, following the passing of a 116-year-old nun in Brazil. The new record holder for longevity is named Ethel Caterham, and she was born on August 21, 1909, in a village in Hampshire, southern England. This was before the deluge of the Great War, when King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria, great-grandfather of the late Elizabeth II, and great-great-great-grandfather of the current monarch, 76-year-old Charles III, sat on the throne of what was still the British Empire.

Her Story

The last of 8 children, Ethel Caterham currently lives in a care home in Surrey, also in southern England. There, after her record was made official, she received a personal letter from King Charles III congratulating her on her "remarkable achievement." Still mentally sharp, Caterham is able to recall key milestones from her life. At 18, she moved to colonial India, hired as an au pair by the family of one of His Majesty's army officers. Upon her return to Great Britain, she met her future husband, Norman, at a party. They married in 1933 and lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar before returning to English soil. She was widowed almost half a century ago, in 1976, and Ethel only stopped driving on the cusp of her 100th birthday. At nearly 111, she even recovered from a COVID-19 infection. Her secret to longevity? "Not arguing with anyone," she told a journalist, in addition to prioritizing "family, the most important thing in existence," including her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She also told a local newspaper that she has no regrets, is "happy to have traveled the world" before settling into "this beautiful home" for seniors in her homeland: "I said yes to every opportunity in life, maintaining a positive mental attitude and embracing everything in moderation." Just last year, the United Kingdom celebrated another British subject claiming the record as the 'world's oldest man': a record inherited from a Japanese man and held for a few months in 2024 by war veteran John Tinniswood, who passed away in November at 112 years old.