On May 1, 2025, British citizen Ethel Caterham, aged 115, was officially recognized as the world’s oldest living person after the passing of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who died at age 116, reports the Baltimore Chronicle, citing LongeviQuest.
Ethel Caterham was born on August 21, 1909, in the village of Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, England, and grew up in nearby Tidworth, Wiltshire. At the age of 18, she traveled to British India, where she worked as a governess for a military family.
She returned to the UK in 1931 and soon met her future husband, Norman Caterham. The couple married in 1933 at Salisbury Cathedral.
Following their marriage, the couple lived in Gibraltar and Hong Kong, where Ethel opened a kindergarten. They later returned to the UK and raised two daughters. Norman Caterham passed away in 1976.
Ethel Caterham lived for over 50 years in Surrey. She continued to drive a car until the age of 97 and played bridge well into her later years. In 2020, she contracted COVID-19 and made a full recovery.
For her 115th birthday, celebrated in August 2024 at a care home in Lightwater, Surrey, Ethel was honored by the local mayor and her family. A garden named “Ethel’s Garden” was renovated in her honor. The celebration included a live performance of Frank Sinatra songs.
Ethel Caterham is the last known living subject of King Edward VII and the oldest British person in recorded history. She has three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren. She credits her longevity to avoiding arguments and living life on her own terms.
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