Canadian seniors are noting the 117th birthday of Ethel Caterham, the world's oldest person, who recently met King Charles III during a visit to her care home.
Celebration at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home
Ethel Caterham lives at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater, Surrey, and is spending the day with family and friends to mark the occasion on Friday.
In a statement she said: "Thank‑you for all of the kind birthday wishes. Even at 117, I've had many firsts this year, from stroking a llama to holding hands with the King. I've had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings."
Royal Meeting with King Charles III
Mrs Caterham was visited by King Charles III, who held her hand as he introduced himself, in September last year just after her 116th birthday.
Because King Charles III is also Canada's head of state, the meeting resonated with Canadians who follow his duties across the Commonwealth. Canadian seniors see the encounter as a reminder of the shared history between Canada and the United Kingdom.
She became the oldest living person in April 2025 after the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116.
During the meeting with the king, she recollected his 1969 investiture as the Prince of Wales when he was 21, adding: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."
Mrs Caterham was born on August 21, 1909 in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, five years before the start of the First World War, as the second youngest of eight siblings.
She is the last surviving subject of Edward VII, who died in May 1910.
In 1927, aged 18 she travelled to India and worked as an au pair to a military family until she was 21.
She met her husband Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army who died in 1976, at a dinner party in the UK in 1931.
They lived in Salisbury before being stationed in Gibraltar and Hong Kong. Mrs Caterham set up a nursery school while in Hong Kong and raised two daughters, both of whom died before her.
One of her sisters, Gladys, lived to be 104.
Mrs Caterham drove until she was 97 and enjoyed playing contract bridge in her centenarian years. She survived Covid in 2020 aged 110.
The title of the oldest person ever is held by French woman Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 years 164 days, according to Guinness World Records.