The world's oldest living person is marking her 117th birthday today at her care home in Surrey after a year of "many firsts".
Ethel Caterham is celebrating the milestone surrounded by her loved ones at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Lightwater.
"I've had a lovely day celebrating with my family and friends, and I look forward to seeing what next year brings," she said in an upbeat birthday statement.
The King visited Mrs Caterham in September last year, shortly after she turned 116, taking her hand as he greeted her.
During their meeting, she recalled watching his 1969 investiture as Prince of Wales when Charles was just 21.
She told him: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."
Mrs Caterham claimed the title of the world's oldest living person in April 2025, following the passing of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was also 116 at the time of her death.
Born on August 21, 1909, in the Hampshire village of Shipton Bellinger, Mrs Caterham arrived into the world five years before the outbreak of the First World War.
She was the second-youngest in a family of eight children.
Mrs Caterham is also the last person alive to have been a subject of Edward VII, who died in May 1910.
At 18, she set off for India in 1927, where she spent three years working as an au pair for a military family.
She first met her future husband Norman at a dinner party in the UK in 1931.
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Norman served as a lieutenant colonel in the British Army and died in 1976.
The couple initially made their home in Salisbury before military postings took them to Gibraltar and Hong Kong.
While living in Hong Kong, Mrs Caterham established a nursery school and brought up two daughters, both of whom died before her.
Longevity appears to run in the family - her sister Gladys reached the age of 104.
Mrs Caterham even stayed driving until she was 97 and took up contract bridge during her years as a centenarian.
She also proved her resilience by recovering from Covid in 2020 when she was 110 years old.
The all-time record for the longest human life belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, who reached 122 years and 164 days, as verified by Guinness World Records.
Mrs Caterham would need to power on through to late 2031 to surpass that extraordinary benchmark.
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