![Fans shook up over Presley book]( "Fans shook up over Presley book")
Fans shook up over Presley book
Priscilla Presley signed hundreds of copies of her book
He may have been dead for almost 28 years but anything to do with "the King" Elvis Presley is still guaranteed to pull the crowds.
A book signing at Waterstones in London's Oxford Street by his former wife, Priscilla Presley, proved no exception.
Fans queued from 0630BST for a glimpse of the woman who shared their hero's life.
When Wednesday's one-hour signing began some six and a half hours later, more than 500 fans had turned up, making the store into something of an Elvis jamboree.
From men and women in their 20s, to couples in their 80s - including a healthy smattering of Elvis impersonators - they stood in a long line, snaking in and out of the aisles of books, as Mrs Presley posed for press photographs.
Many had taken days off from work or re-arranged family commitments to be at the signing, with one man flying in from the Republic of Ireland.
Clutching copies of her book, Elvis By The Presleys, they queued behind crowd-control barriers, happily passing the time sharing anecdotes about "The King" and comparing notes on trips to his hometown of Memphis.
Excitement grew with each step nearer the front of the queue, where Mrs Presley, a tiny figure with long dark hair and a deep-purple jacket, greeted fans as she signed their copies.
At the back of the line, a floor up from where the signing was taking place, fans with little hope of reaching the front before the visit was over waited patiently as Elvis hits were relayed through the bookshop's speakers.
Grandmother Wendy Lane, 58, of Hornchurch, Essex, had been an Elvis fan since her teenage years and has visited Memphis several times to pay homage to her hero.
Clad in an Elvis t-shirt, with Elvis earrings and an Elvis watch, she was at the signing with her son Steve and his wife, Debbie.
"I've got a room in my flat dedicated to Elvis - he's on the wall, he's everywhere. I've got statues and pictures and plates," she said.
"My grandson, Harry, who's two-and-a-half is Elvis-mad as well, so we're bringing him up the right way."
Mark Green, 35, an Elvis impersonator sporting an impressive black quiff, travelled from Birmingham to be at the signing and was outside Waterstones queuing from 0800 BST.
He said: "I'm a massive Elvis fan. I've been to Graceland and been on the tours. I've got the autographs of most of the Elvis entourage but until today I didn't have Priscilla's."
After queuing up to meet Mrs Presley with several copies of the book, he said: "I couldn't believe how little she was and she seemed ever so nice.
"They told us she would only sign certain parts of the book, but she signed the pictures and everything. And she asked where I was from and so on."
Sue Carroll, 37, of Ealing, west London, was born into an Elvis-mad family and has been a fan "from the time I took my first breath".
She never had the chance to see her hero perform live but says: "Elvis was always played in our home. My Dad even had a quiff, though it's a very wispy quiff now."
Sue met her husband through an Elvis fan club and her brother, who lives abroad, has named his three children Lisa-Marie (after Elvis's daughter), Aaron, (Elvis' middle name) and Jesse (after Elvis' twin).
She said: "I came here today because to actually see a Presley in the flesh is really exciting. I think it's great that's she's keeping the memory alive.
"As far as I'm concerned, you cannot beat Elvis's music. All those bands today come and go and then they're finished but Elvis is always there."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4559899.stm
