London — The world's oldest living person, British woman Ethel Caterham, turned 116 on Thursday, just months after the title passed to her following the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas .

Caterham was marking the occasion quietly with her family, taking the day "at her own pace," the care home where she lives in Surrey, just south of London, told CBS News in a statement.

"Ethel and her family are so grateful for all of the kind messages and interest shown to her as she celebrates her 116th birthday this year," Hallmark Care Homes said in the statement, adding that while she was not giving any interviews to mark the occasion, a conversation with King Charles III "may be her one concession, understandably!"

The British monarch often extends a personal greeting to Britons

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