King Charles III recently visited Ethel Caterham, the world’s oldest person, who turned 116 in April. During their meeting at her care home in Lightwater, Surrey, Caterham reminisced about the King’s investiture as Prince of Wales over 50 years ago, recalling, "I remember when your mother crowned you in Caernarfon Castle. And all the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."

The King, 76, responded with a raised eyebrow, while Caterham’s granddaughter, Kate Henderson, chimed in, saying, "You were saying that the other day, weren't you? You said 'Prince Charles was so handsome. All the girls were in love with him'. A true prince - and now the King." The King humorously replied, "Yes, well, all that's left of him anyway."

Caterham celebrated her birthday quietly with family in August but had expressed a desire for a proper celebration if the King were to visit. This meeting came shortly after the King bid farewell to US President Donald Trump.

Since turning 100, Caterham has received 17 birthday cards from the King and the late Queen Elizabeth II. In 2023, she was featured on the Royal Family's official Instagram page, where she was seen receiving her 114th birthday card from the King. Following her recognition as the world’s oldest person earlier this year, she received a signed letter of congratulations from the late Queen.

Born on 21 August 1909 in Shipton Bellinger, Hampshire, Caterham is the last surviving subject of Edward VII. At 18, she moved to India to work as an au pair for a military family, returning three years later. She met her husband, Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, at a dinner party in 1931. The couple lived in various locations, including Gibraltar and Hong Kong, where she established a nursery school and raised two daughters, both of whom have since passed away.

Norman died in 1976, and one of Caterham's sisters lived to be 104. Remarkably, she drove until the age of 97, played bridge well into her 100s, and survived coronavirus in 2020 at the age of 110.