Britain’s oldest person, 116, meets King Charles at Surrey care home
Ethel Caterham, widowed 50 years ago, outlived her children and now meets the king as she holds the longevity title.
Surrey, England — Ethel Caterham, 116, has become the world's oldest living person and met King Charles III on Saturday at her care home in Surrey. Born Ethel Collins in 1909, Caterham was widowed in 1976 and has outlived both of her daughters, Gem and Anne.
Her life spans seismic events: she was born three years before the Titanic sank; she witnessed the First World War, Britain's Representation of the People Act that gave women the vote in 1918, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, the first Moon landing in 1969, and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
During the meeting, Caterham wore an ornate sage-patterned dress with gold fur-lined sequined slippers. She told the King that she remembered his 1969 investiture, when the then-21-year-old was presented with the Prince of Wales title by Queen Elizabeth II. Caterham’s granddaughter, Kate Henderson, recalled the moment, including Caterham's quip that 'Prince Charles was so handsome. All the girls were in love with him.' The remark drew a smile from Charles, who later joked that 'all that's left of him anyway.'
A previous birthday card from Charles and Camilla, a card from the late Queen Elizabeth II and a framed letter from the King congratulating Caterham on her 116th birthday were on the table. She has lived in the Surrey residential and dementia home for more than 50 years, and the home renamed a section of its garden in her honor. In 2023, Caterham appeared on the monarchy's official Instagram account when she received a card from the King to mark her 114th birthday.
She is believed to be the fourth British person to hold the title of world's oldest living person; Anna Eliza Williams, who died at 114 in 1987, was the previous British holder, followed by Alice Stevenson (112) in 1973 and Ada Roe (111) in 1970.
Globally, the list of the oldest people includes Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122; Jiroemon Kimura, who died at 116; Kane Tanaka, who lived to 119; and Sarah Knauss, who died at 119.