From travelling alone to India at 18 to meeting King Charles at 116: The extraordinary life of 117-year-old Ethel Caterham

• Ethel Caterham is 117 and the world’s oldest living person. She has lived through two World Wars, six British monarchs and the COVID-19 pandemic. 

• The British supercentenarian says avoiding arguments, listening and doing what she likes are part of her approach to life. 

• Caterham travelled alone to India at 18, lived abroad and continued driving until she was 97. She also survived COVID-19 at 110.

• At 117, Caterham remains curious about life and says she is looking forward to what the next year brings.

Ethel Caterham was born in 1909, when Edward VII was still on the British throne and the world had not yet experienced the First World War, television or the technological revolution that would eventually reshape everyday life. 

On August 21, 2026, she turned 117, becoming the first verified Briton to reach that age and remaining the world's oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records.

She is also believed to be the last surviving subject of Edward VII and the last living person born in 1909.

Caterham has spent 117 years moving through worlds that would be almost unrecognisable to the young girl born in Hampshire.

She has travelled alone to India, lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar, raised a family, learned to drive after becoming a widow, continued driving until 97 and survived COVID-19 at 110. 

Now, at an age when most people would be forgiven for having little interest in what comes next, she says she is still looking forward to the next year. 

When Caterham is asked about the secret to her longevity, she said that she doesn't argue with people, listens, does what she likes and tries to maintain a positive attitude.

Her statement is scientifically accurate. Frequent or intense anger can trigger stress responses that affect the cardiovascular system and contribute to long-term health problems. 

She has also encouraged people to say yes to opportunities because you never know where they might lead, while keeping things in moderation. 

That does not mean avoiding arguments is what made Caterham 117, but it is an interesting point of overlap between her personal philosophy and what researchers know about chronic stress and anger. 

Caterham, however, lived an interesting life detailed in subsequent sections.

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When Caterham was 18, she boarded a ship alone and travelled to India, where she worked as an au pair for a British military family.

The journey took about three weeks, and she remained in India until she was 21. This was 1927, long before international travel became something people could organise from a phone in a matter of minutes. 

She eventually returned to Britain and, in 1931, met Norman Caterham at a dinner party. Norman was a British Army officer, and the couple married in Salisbury Cathedral in 1933. His military career later took them to places including Gibraltar and Hong Kong.

Rather than just follow her husband around during those years, Caterham found a meaningful and purposeful act and pursued it. While living in Hong Kong, she established a nursery for British and local children, teaching English, games and crafts. 

The couple eventually returned to Britain and raised two daughters, Gem and Anne. 

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Caterham was 67 when Norman died in 1976.

Many people would have settled into a sedentary lifestyle, but she did the exact opposite. Rather than allowing widowhood to bring her life to a standstill, she took over her late husband’s Triumph Dolomite and continued driving. She eventually stopped at 97. 

She also remained interested in contract bridge well into her centenarian years, and she has spoken about the importance of keeping busy and finding hobbies after retirement.

Her family, meanwhile, grew across generations. She now has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.

But living to such an extraordinary age has also meant experiencing losses that most people never have to contemplate.

Caterham outlived her husband and both daughters. Gem died in the early 2000s, while Anne died in February 2020 at 82. 

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The year 2020 brought another challenge, one that brought the entire world to a standstill.

At 110 years old, Caterham contracted COVID-19 and survived, making her one of the oldest known people to recover from the disease. 

It was also the year she lost her daughter Anne.

That sequence of events makes her later life particularly touching. Caterham's story is not one where everything went smoothly. 

She experienced bereavement, major historical upheavals and a global pandemic, yet continued to find reasons to stay engaged with the world around her.

Today, she lives at a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, where the garden has been renamed "Ethel's Garden" in her honour. She enjoys sitting outside listening to the birds and spending time with family and friends. 

Caterham became the world's oldest living person in April 2025, after the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116. She had already become Britain's oldest verified person earlier that month, surpassing the record held by Charlotte Hughes. 

Now, she clocks 117 on August 21, 2026.

She celebrated with family and friends at her Surrey care home, where the occasion included afternoon tea and a Frank Sinatra tribute singer performing her favourite song, Three Coins in the Fountain. 

But perhaps the most fitting detail from her latest year is that Caterham still talks about firsts. She recently recalled experiences including stroking a llama and meeting King Charles III.

The King visited her in September 2025, shortly after her 116th birthday. During their conversation, Caterham remembered watching his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales. She then teased him about his younger days, telling him that all the girls had been in love with him and wanted to marry him. 

Caterham was born during the reign of Charles's great-great-grandfather, Edward VII, and was alive when Charles became Prince of Wales. More than five decades later, she was sitting with him as King.

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One could easily turn the habits of a 117-year-old into a checklist for living longer, just as we did with the story of a 110-year-old Turkish woman who credited homemade yoghurt and hard work for her longevity. 

But neither yoghurt nor Caterham's approach can guarantee an exceptionally long life. Genetics, environment, healthcare, lifestyle and chance all influence how long a person lives. 

Caterham herself has never presented her philosophy as a scientific formula. What makes her story compelling is the way her actions line up with the advice she has given over the years.

She said yes to an opportunity and travelled to India at 18. She married, moved across continents and built a nursery in Hong Kong. After losing her husband, she learned to drive and continued doing so until 97. 

She maintained hobbies in old age, survived COVID-19 at 110 and, after losing both daughters, continued building a life around her grandchildren, great-grandchildren, friends and interests.

And now, at 117, she is still curious about what comes next.