Everton chief Bill Kenwright reveals Elvis visit

Apr 22 2008

ELVIS PRESLEY made a secret visit to England 50 years ago, it has emerged.

The King took in the sights of London, including the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace, in 1958 with singer Tommy Steele.

Fans have always thought that the nearest Elvis came to setting foot on English soil was a brief stopover at Prestwick airport in Scotland in 1960, on his way home from his army base in Germany.

But the truth was blurted out on the radio yesterday by theatre producer Bill Kenwright, 62, a friend of former teen idol Steele.

He told Radio 2’s Ken Bruce show Tracks Of My Years: "Shall I tell you a little story that I know and you don’t know and nobody knows?

"Elvis came to England. Nobody thinks he did and I hope Tommy doesn’t go mad when I tell you.

"Tommy got a phone call one night. It said: ’They tell me you’re good’ and Tommy replied: ’Who’s this?’

"The caller said: ’It’s Elvis,’ and Tommy said: ’Get outta here.’ And Elvis said: ’Are you as good as me?’

"And they talked and they got a friendship. Elvis flew in for a day.

"Tommy showed him round London... showed him the Houses of Parliament and spent the day with him."

Elvis would have been 23 at the time, and if recognised on the street would have sparked hysterical reactions from the crowds.

The singer, who never performed in the UK, joined the US Army in March of the same year of the secret visit and was posted to Germany.

Cockney singer Steele, now 71, said that he had promised never to reveal the visit in public and that he regretted that it had come out in the open.

He told the Daily Mail newspaper: "What actually happened many years ago is something secret and memorable.

"It was an event shared by two young men sharing the same love of their music and the same thrill of achieving something unimaginable.

"I swore never to divulge publicly what took place and I regret that it has found some way of ’getting into the light’. I can only hope he can forgive me."