Many men can’t wait to become a grandpa. Some will wait their whole lives to hold their children’s children in their arms as a sweet full-circle moment. Australian Charles Smith longed for a grandbaby of his own, but as time went by, the odds didn’t seem in his favor. But then in 2025, his son welcomed a baby girl, Isla. Sure, that could be the happy end of our story, but there’s more to it than just that. At the time Isla was born, Charles was 91, according to a Guinness World Records release. Ashley and his wife, Hanna, thought they might have a record on their hands, so they reached out. Turns out, they were correct.
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Charles is the Oldest First-Time Grandfather on Record
After Isla’s birth, Ashley filled out an application and sent it to Guinness. The company officially made Charles the oldest first-time grandfather ever at 91 years, 209 days old when Isla arrived on August 29, 2025. He had no idea Ashley reached out to Guinness until he and the baby gave him the huge news.
Charles told Guinness he wanted nothing more in life than to have Ashley, Hanna, and Isla by his side. The entire experience has been “absolute magic,” Charles said.
“She’s my granddaughter,” he said. “Record-breaking or not, she’s my family.”
The oldest first-time grandfather wants to spend as much time with her as he can.
“All I can say is I picked her up and didn’t want to give her back. Except for the nappy changes,” he joked with Guinness.
From now on, Charles will be lovingly referred to by Isla as her “Poppy.”
“There are lots of grandpas and grandads around,” he proudly shared with Guinness. “I feel Poppy suits me.”
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