World’s oldest person celebrates her 117th birthday: Ethel from Surrey shares the secret to a long life – after living through six monarchs and 28 Prime Ministers
Ethel, a 117-year-old woman from Surrey, has been celebrated as the world's oldest living person on her latest birthday, having lived through the reigns of six monarchs and the terms of 28 British Prime Ministers. Her milestone highlights the remarkable span of British and world history she has witnessed firsthand, from the early twentieth century to the present day.
The available report focuses on Ethel's longevity as its central point, with the coverage noting she has shared what she considers the secret to a long life, though the specific details of her advice were not included in the retrieved text. Her age places her among an extremely small number of people worldwide verified to have lived beyond 117 years.
- Ethel from Surrey turns 117, named world's oldest person
- She has lived through six monarchs and 28 Prime Ministers
- Ethel has shared her personal secret to a long life
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Ethel, from Surrey, is currently recognised as the oldest living person in the world, having reached the age of 117. She was born in the early years of the twentieth century, which means her lifetime spans an unusually long stretch of British and world history, including the reigns of six different monarchs and the terms of 28 Prime Ministers.
Verified cases of people living past 117 are extremely rare, so Ethel's age places her among a very small group worldwide whose longevity has been officially confirmed. Claims of extreme old age are typically checked against birth records and other documentation before being accepted, which is part of why such milestones attract wider attention.
Stories like Ethel's tend to draw interest both for the personal achievement involved and for what they reveal about longevity more broadly, including the lifestyle factors people often credit for a long life.
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