British resident Ethel Caterham, widely recognized as the oldest person on Earth, marked her 117th birthday. The milestone was reported on August 21.
According to the announcement, Caterham assumed this title in April 2025 following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Ina Canabarro Lucas at age 116.
Caterham was born three years before the sinking of the Titanic and eight years prior to the October Revolution in Russia. She survived two world wars and became one of the oldest individuals on Earth who successfully overcame 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 living 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.
