British supercentenarian Ethel Caterham celebrated her 116th birthday on August 21, 2025, quietly with family in Surrey after becoming the world’s oldest living person earlier this year.
British centenarian Ethel Caterham, aged 116, celebrated her milestone birthday today at the care home where she resides, marking a rare and heartfelt moment of quiet reflection and family togetherness. This year, she quietly marked the occasion “at her own pace,” as confirmed by her care home in Surrey, which emphasized the low-key nature of the celebration.
Ms. Caterham assumed the title of the world’s oldest living person in April, following the passing of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, and is recognized by both the Gerontological Research Group (GRG) and the LongeviQuest database.
Born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, southwestern England, Caterham came into the world five years before the First World War began. She has outlived both her daughters and her husband, Norman, who passed away in 1976. She is a great-grandmother to five and grandmother to three.
Reflecting on longevity, Caterham once shared, “Never arguing with anyone! I listen and I do what I like.” She also received a congratulatory letter from King Charles III last year for her 115th birthday and remains the last surviving person who was a subject of King Edward VII.