World's youngest grandmother at 23?

A 23-year-old woman from Romania has claimed to have become the 'world's youngest grandmother', a media report said.

Mum-of-two Rifca Stanescu was 12 when she had her first child Maria. She urged her daughter not to follow her example -- but Maria gave birth to son Ion while only 11, The Sun reported.

Rifca had married jewellery seller Ionel Stanescu when she was 11 and he was 13. They eloped because Rifca feared her father wanted her to marry another village lad in Investi in Romania. She was forgiven when she had her daughter -- making her mum, also Maria, a great grandmother at 40. Son Nicolae was born a year later.

The young mum later tried to persuade Maria to stay at school. But Maria left to wed when she was 10 and had her baby six months later, the report said.

Rifca cuddled grandson Ion, now two, and said: "I am happy to be a grandmother but wished more for Maria."

Britain's previous youngest grandmother was an unnamed 26-year-old from Yorks. Her daughter, 12, gave birth in 1999.