Ethel Caterham has lived through more than a century of extraordinary change, but one of the most memorable moments of her long life happened only recently.

As she celebrates her 117th birthday on Aug. 21, Caterham can look back on a year that brought several new experiences — including a personal meeting with King Charles III, a man whose life she had watched from afar for decades.

Now recognized as the world’s oldest living person, Caterham planned to mark her milestone birthday surrounded by friends and family at Hallmark Lakeview Care Home in Surrey, England. Rather than treating 117 simply as another remarkable number, she appeared interested in whatever life might still have waiting for her.

“I look forward to seeing what next year brings,” she said.

A Birthday Few People Ever Reach

Caterham was born in Hampshire, England, on Aug. 21, 1909.

To understand just how much history her lifetime contains, consider the world she was born into. The First World War was still five years away, and Edward VII was sitting on the British throne.

Caterham is now the last surviving person who was a subject of Edward VII.

Since his death in May 1910, Britain has been ruled by five more monarchs: George V, Edward VIII, George VI, Elizabeth II and Charles III.

That remarkable connection between her life and the monarchy took on a personal dimension last September, shortly after Caterham celebrated her 116th birthday.

King Charles came to visit her.

For someone who had witnessed his life unfold across generations, the encounter became one of the highlights of an already extraordinary year. Caterham even got to hold the King’s hand.

She Remembered Charles as a Young Prince

During their conversation, Caterham reached back to another moment from British history: Charles becoming Prince of Wales in 1969.

He was just 21 at the time.

Caterham told him that young women had been captivated by him in those days.

“All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you,” she recalled.

The exchange brought together two people whose lives had intersected with the same history from very different perspectives — one as a member of the royal family and the other as a woman who had simply lived long enough to see generations come and go.

Her Own Life Took Her Far Beyond England

Long before she became known around the world for her age, Caterham had already lived a life filled with travel, family and major transitions.

She was the second youngest of eight siblings.

As a young woman, she left Britain for India, where she worked as an au pair for a military family between the ages of 18 and 21.

Her travels would not end there.

In 1931, she met Norman Caterham at a dinner party. He was an army officer who would later become a lieutenant colonel, and the couple eventually married.

Their life together reflected the international nature of military service. They lived in Salisbury and later spent time stationed overseas in Gibraltar and Hong Kong.

While living in Hong Kong, Caterham established a nursery.

She and Norman also raised two daughters.

But a life lasting 117 years inevitably carries profound losses alongside its joyful memories. Norman died in 1976, leaving Caterham a widow after decades together.

Both of their daughters also died before their mother.

Becoming the World’s Oldest Living Person

Caterham reached another remarkable milestone in 2025.

Following the death of a 116-year-old Brazilian nun, she became the world’s oldest living person in May of that year.

The title placed international attention on a woman whose life had begun in the Edwardian era and continued well into the 21st century.

Yet the numbers alone barely capture the scale of what Caterham has experienced.

She was born before the First World War. She spent part of her youth in India, married between the two world wars, lived in different corners of the British Empire, raised a family and watched the monarchy pass from one generation to another.

Then, at 116, she met the reigning King in person.

At 117, she remains surrounded by people celebrating not just her age, but an exceptionally long human story.

One Historic Record Still Stands

Even at 117, Caterham has not reached the greatest verified age cited in the story.

That distinction belongs to France’s Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122 before her death in 1997.

Caterham remains about five years away from matching that extraordinary mark.

But her 117th birthday carries its own significance.

For Caterham and those closest to her, the celebration comes after a year filled with moments she had never experienced before — remarkable in itself for someone who has already lived through 117 years of history.

She has outlived her husband and both of her daughters. She has watched six monarchs occupy the British throne. She has lived across continents and witnessed generations grow up in a world almost unrecognizable from the one into which she was born.

And yet her attention is not fixed entirely on the past.

As family and friends gather around her in Surrey for another extraordinary birthday, Caterham’s simple message is pointed toward the future.

After 117 years, she is still wondering what might come next.