Inside the heartbreaking reason Elvis Presley never performed in the UK

Legendary rocker Elvis Presley dominated the charts from the 1950s up until his death in 1977 with hits such as Jailhouse Rock, Hound Dog and Always on My Mind. Although he met adoring fans and performed in front of millions across the United States and Canada, Elvis never had a single concert in the UK.

As well as his trailblazing singles, the icon's charismatic stage presence and routines helped him achieve global success with an estimated 500 million records worldwide. This also extended to film, as he starred in 31 feature films and two concert documentary films. During his life, the star even became one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, but sadly, Elvis was held back from travelling to the UK despite his desire to visit and tour Europe.

According to reports, Elvis was tragically prevented from touring the UK because of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who was born in the Netherlands and arrived in the US illegally.

As he didn't possess an American passport, the artist manager feared that if he left the country, even for Elvis' worldwide tour, he would not be granted entry back into the US.

Despite the performer's desire to tour Europe, Colonel allegedly convinced the Love Me Tender star that travelling abroad would be a security risk and encouraged him to focus on Las Vegas instead.

The manager, who was born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, entered the US illegally at 20 years old and adopted the moniker Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker.

With a background working in carnivals, he moved into music promotion in 1938 and worked with singers such as Gene Austin, Eddy Arnold, Hank Snow, and Tommy Sand before meeting Elvis.

While enjoying the throes of stardom, Elvis was drafted into the United States Army, where he served as a regular soldier, and this was reportedly the only time he was able to see Europe.

The singer was stationed in Germany for overseas duty, and rather than using his celebrity status to avoid duty, he was an active duty soldier.

During his military service, he was even promoted and achieved the rank of Sergeant before his honourable discharge on March 5, 1969.

In addition to living in Germany, there are reports that he visited the UK once, landing at Scotland's Prestwick airport for a mandatory stop on his way back to Germany.

There are also unconfirmed stories that British Icon Tommy Steele hosted Elvis during a secret visit to London in 1958 and showed him landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament.