County News: Sussex couple are officially world’s oldest husband and wife

The previous world record was 191 years 126 days.

George Kirby and Doreen Luckie hit the headlines across the globe when they married at the Langham Hotel, Eastbourne, in June this year on George’s 103rd birthday. The hotel is owned by George’s son, Neil Kirby and his wife Wendy.

“The reaction to their wedding was just extraordinary,” said Neil. “They were featured on television news programmes throughout the world from the BBC and ITV in the UK to CNN in America, and film crews came from as far away as Thailand to film the wedding.

“Every day we would get reports that they were on the front page of newspapers in virtually every country across the globe, Australia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, even Russia.

“Some friends were holidaying in the Bahamas and suddenly saw the faces of my dad and Doreen on news-stands near the beach. It was incredible. The phone just never stopped ringing with requests for interviews and it continues. A couple of weeks ago they were on Lorraine Kelly’s ITV breakfast show. Even Prime Minister David Cameron called in to meet them.”

After nearly five months of processing the application, Guinness World Records finally announced on November 5 that Doreen and George are officially amazing and have achieved a world record.

That same day, the first child of George’s grandson, Neil Kirby Jnr and his partner Zdenka Zakova, was born. Weighing 8.5lbs, the new addition to the Kirby family is to be called George after his record-breaking great-grandfather.

“We have had two Neil Kirbys, with me and my son,” says Langham owner Neil Kirby, “and now we’re thrilled to have two George Kirbys in the family, my father and grandson. And it’s extraordinary to think they were born more than 103 years apart.”

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