World's Oldest Living Person Celebrates 117th Birthday After Surviving Two World Wars and COVID-19
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Ethel Caterham, currently the world's oldest living person, marked her 117th birthday on January 21 with family and friends at a care home in Surrey, England. Born in 1909—three years before the Titanic sank and eight years before the Russian Revolution—Caterham has witnessed an extraordinary span of history, including both World Wars. She notably survived COVID-19 at age 110 in 2020, becoming one of the oldest known survivors of the disease according to Guinness World Records. Last September, shortly after her 116th birthday, King Charles III personally visited her at the Surrey care home, where she recollected his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales.
Key Points
- Ethel Caterham celebrated her 117th birthday on January 21 at her care home in Surrey, England
- Born on August 2, 1909, she has survived two world wars and recovered from COVID-19 at age 110
- She was the last living subject of King Edward VII and worked as a governess in India starting in 1927
- Caterham and her husband Norman, a British Army lieutenant colonel, once lived in Hong Kong where she founded a kindergarten
- King Charles III visited her in September 2024, and she told him she recalled his 1969 Prince of Wales investiture ceremony
Why It Matters
Caterham's extraordinary longevity represents a remarkable testament to human resilience across more than a century of dramatic global change . Her story offers inspiration at a time when populations worldwide are living longer, highlighting both the advances in medical care that enabled her recovery from COVID-19 at 110 and the personal connections spanning multiple generations that she has maintained .
Caterham's extraordinary longevity represents a remarkable testament to human resilience across more than a century of dramatic global change . Her story offers inspiration at a time when populations worldwide are living longer, highlighting both the advances in medical care that enabled her recovery from COVID-19 at 110 and the personal connections spanning multiple generations that she has maintained .