World's oldest woman is 117 — and her secret isn't diet or pills

Ethel Caterham has outlived six British monarchs, two world wars, and Covid. Her advice is shorter than a tweet.

Ethel Caterham was born on August 21, 1909, in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, during the reign of Edward VII. Today she turns 117, which makes her, per Guinness World Records, the oldest living person on the planet and the last living subject of a king who died in 1910. Let that sink in. She has been alive for more than 42,000 days and she still has a new monarch to break in.

The BBC reports she's marking the occasion at her care home in Lightwater, Surrey, surrounded by family and friends, after a year she described as full of firsts — including petting a llama and holding hands with King Charles III. One of those is objectively more exciting than the other and I'll let you decide which.

The secret, which will annoy the wellness industry

When Caterham became the oldest living person in April 2025, following the death of Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas at 116, people naturally wanted the formula. Her answer, as reported by the Associated Press via AOL, contains no supplement, no diet, no cold plunge:

"Never arguing with anyone, I listen, and I do what I like."

That's it. That's the whole protocol. No stack of pills, no intermittent fasting, no $400 longevity panel, no podcast. She has also, per earlier interviews, credited doing everything in life in moderation, which is a very 1909 way of saying "I'm not going to explain myself to you."

For the record, here's what her "secret" does not include:

• Any specific food
• Any specific exercise
• Any specific supplement
• Any specific app
• Arguing with anyone, ever, about anything

A life that reads like a very long novel

The highlights, as compiled by Euronews and the BBC:

• Born five years before World War I, second-youngest of eight siblings. One sister, Gladys, made it to 104, so there's something in the gene pool.
• At 18 she went to India to work as an au pair for a military family.
• In 1931 she met Norman, a British Army lieutenant colonel, at a dinner party. They married, lived in Salisbury, then Gibraltar, then Hong Kong, where she opened a nursery school.
• Raised two daughters. Outlived both of them, and Norman, who died in 1976.
• Caught Covid in 2020 at the age of 110 and survived, making her one of the oldest people ever to do so.
• Told the King, during his visit last September, that when he was invested as Prince of Wales in 1969, all the girls were in love with him. He reportedly held her hand. A woman who doesn't argue apparently does flirt.

How close is she to the record?

The all-time record belongs to Jeanne Calment of France, who died in 1997 at 122 years and 164 days. Caterham is 117 today, which puts her about five and a half years out. That sounds like a lot until you consider she's already done 117 of them and seems, by every account, to be enjoying herself.

Ethel Caterham's approach to a long life is basically the opposite of the internet: listen more, argue never, and do what you like. Somehow it has taken 117 years for this to read as radical.

Happy birthday, Ethel. Pet another llama. Don't explain yourself to anyone.