Ethel Caterham, a 115-year-old Briton, has become the world's oldest living person following the death of a Brazilian nun who previously held the record, research groups announced on Thursday.
Born on 21 August 1909 in a village in Hampshire, southern England, Ethel Caterham now resides in a care home in Surrey, having outlived her husband and two daughters.
She holds the title of the world's oldest person, according to the US-based Gerontology Research Group (GRG) and LongeviQuest database, after Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas passed away on Wednesday at the age of 116.
Caterham is the last living subject of King Edward VII, whose reign ended in 1910. She is also recorded as the oldest Briton ever by the Oldest in Britain database.
On her 115th birthday in August, she received a letter from King Charles III congratulating her on reaching such a "remarkable milestone."
When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said: "I never argue with anyone! I listen and do as I please."
Ethel Caterham. Credit: Gerontology Wiki
Globetrotting and surviving Covid
The newly-crowned oldest person in the world currently has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
At 18, Ethel journeyed alone to India to work as an au pair for a military family, following a three-week sea voyage.
Shortly after returning to England, she met her future husband, military man Norman Caterham, and they married in 1933. The couple lived in Hong Kong and Gibraltar before settling back in England.
Her husband passed away nearly half a century ago in 1976, when he was in his 60s.
Ethel Caterham herself continued driving until nearly 100 and played bridge well into old age. She even survived a Covid-19 infection in 2020, according to the Telegraph.
In the same year, she told the BBC she had taken life's ups and downs with a philosophical approach and was grateful to have "travelled all over the world."
She also shared with the Salisbury Journal that it was crucial to "seize every opportunity," maintain "a positive mental attitude," and practice moderation in all things.
