Ethel met her husband Norman, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army, at a dinner party in the UK in 1931 and the pair later lived in Hong Kong, where she set up a nursery school.

They then raised two daughters, both of whom died before her.

Norman also went on to die in 1976, while one of her sisters, Gladys, also became a centenarian, living until she was 104.

Ethel, who was still driving when she turned 97, was visited by King Charles last September, just after her 116th birthday.

During their meeting, she recalled his 1969 investiture as the Prince of Wales, when he was 21, telling him: "All the girls were in love with you and wanted to marry you."

However, the title of the oldest person ever is still held by French woman Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 having lived to 122 years 164 days, says Guinness World Records.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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