Elvis Presley's trip to London disputed

Two of Elvis Presley's close friends have disputed claims that the singer made a secret visit to London.

Two of Presley's inner circle nicknamed the 'Memphis Mafia', Lamar Fike and Marty Lacker, insist he never travelled to England.

Theatre producer Bill Kenwright recently told a BBC radio show that Presley flew into London for a day "when he was in the forces", and singer Tommy Steele showed him landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament.

Steele recently acknowledged the story, but "swore never to divulge publicly" what took place and "regrets" that the news leaked out.

He said: "I can only hope he (Presley) can forgive me. It was an event shared by two young men sharing the same love of their music and the same thrill of achieving something unimaginable."

However Fike, who was in US army with Presley in Germany, told BBC News: "My apologies to Tommy, but it did not happen. I was with him the whole time. I got there two days after he got there. He was confined to base."

Fike said Presley visited Paris and Munich during his 18 months in Germany, but added: "Had he gone to England, I'd have been there."

Fike is about to publish a book about his time with the Presley called 'An Uncommon Journey'.