The world’s oldest living woman has revealed what she believes is the key to her extraordinary longevity.
Ethel Caterham, born in 1909, celebrated her 116th birthday in 2025. Just a year earlier, on her 115th birthday, she remarked that she “didn’t know why there was all the fuss.”
During that same year, Ethel received a letter from King Charles, who congratulated her on the “truly remarkable milestone” and sent his “warmest good wishes.”
Following the passing of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas earlier this year, Ethel—who resides in a care home in Lightwater, Surrey—became the oldest person in the world. This status has been verified by Guinness World Records and LongeviQuest, a global database that tracks the world’s oldest individuals.
With such an extraordinary lifespan, many have wondered about the secret behind it. Ethel shared her personal philosophy simply: her secret to a long life is “never arguing with anyone, I listen and I do what I like.”
In addition to becoming the world’s oldest known person, Ethel is also among the oldest individuals to have survived contracting Covid-19. Early in the pandemic in 2020, she tested positive for the virus—a particular risk for elderly people. Yet despite being 110 years old at the time, she recovered and continued on to celebrate this remarkable milestone.
Mark McKinley, director of records at Guinness World Records, spoke to the BBC about the organisation’s hope to meet Ethel. “Ethel never set out to be a record breaker. But we’re hoping to meet her some time soon and present her with her certificate,” he said.
Ethel was born on 21 August 1909 in Shipton Bellinger in Hampshire and raised in Tidworth, Wiltshire, where she was the second youngest of eight children. This also makes her the last surviving person to have lived under the reign of Edward VII, the eldest son of Queen Victoria, who died in 1910.
At age 18, Ethel worked as an au pair for a family in India. She later married Norman Caterham at Salisbury Cathedral in 1933 and went on to have three granddaughters and five great-grandchildren.
Longevity appears to run in the family—her sister Gladys lived to 104.
Throughout her lifetime, Ethel has witnessed some of history’s most defining events: the sinking of the Titanic, both world wars, the first moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the invention of the internet, the rise of the iPhone, and even the launch of TikTok.
A spokesperson for Hallmark Lakeview Luxury Care Home, where Ethel now lives, celebrated her achievement: “What an incredible milestone and a true testament to a life well-lived. Your strength, spirit and wisdom are an inspiration to us all. Here’s to celebrating your remarkable journey.”
Source: unilad.com
