Elvis in contact after 39 years

KAREN GOLZ, a 50-year-old woman living in the German town of Oberhausen, has just received a letter from Elvis. No, it is not another of those weird sightings or messages from the twilight zone. The letter is genuine. It has merely been delayed for 39 years.

"Dear Karin," begins GI Presley . "May you have a very happy 11th birthday - and a lot of `Teddy Bears'. Your friend, Elvis."

Ms Golz can not recall whether she received any toys that year, but she certainly remembers trying to contact the King. "I wrote to Elvis shortly before my 11th birthday," she explained to Bild Zeitung.

"I wanted an autograph, and promised I would marry him. I sent the letter to Bad Nauheim, where Elvis was staying during his time as a soldier."

The King penned a reply in blue ink, placed the white sheet in an envelope, wrote the address and attached the stamp. and, being an extremely busy man with two jobs, handed it to his landlady to post. But she forgot to.

When she died, years later, her heirs found the letter, put it in a new envelope with updated stamps, and posted it.

Only a handful of such personal letters from Elvis Presley survive.

Ms Golz's delayed mail is estimated to be worth about DM10,000 (pounds 3,700).