Happy birthday, Ethel! World's oldest woman turns 117 in Surrey care home
Ethel Caterham was joined by family in Surrey care home for birthday
The oldest person in the world has celebrated her 117th birthday in a Surrey care home, a year after she told King Charles that 'all the girls used to fancy him' when he visited her.
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Ethel Caterham was joined by family and friends at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, on Monday as she moves a year closer to the all-time age record.
Born in 1909, Ms Caterham is old enough to have lived through two world wars, the sinking of the Titanic, and the Russian revolution.
She is also the oldest person to have survived Covid-19, after she contracted it in 2020, and the only living person to have been born while King Edward VII was on the throne.
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Ms Caterham was visited by King Charles, the great-grandson of Edward VII, shortly after she took over from a Brazilian nun as the oldest living person in 2025.
She told the King: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."
Jeanne Calment is the oldest person to ever have lived and was 122 when she died in France in 1997.
Ms Caterham was married to Norman, who died in 1975, and they had two daughters, who have both also died.
She originally worked as an au pair in India and later set up a nursery school with Norman in Hong Kong.