Engelbert Humperdinck’s good luck charm came from the King

Engelbert Humperdinck will be carrying a prized gift from Elvis Presley to bring him luck as he performs in the Eurovision Song Contest tonight.

The crooner is one of a handful of the King’s circle of friends who were given one of his TCB necklaces – which stands for “taking care of business”.

And the 76-year-old will have the treasured trinket with him when he represents the UK in Baku, Azerbaijan, against other acts from around Europe.

Humperdinck will be up against acts such as Irish contestants Jedward when they perform at the kitsch and glittery show in Baku’s Crystal Hall.

Bookmaker William Hill now puts both acts at 14-1 to win the competition and said Eurovision has proved a huge money-spinner for the betting industry.

The firm predicts that more than £10 million will staked for this year’s competition, but said Sweden is favourite to win among UK fans, rather than chart veteran Humperdinck.

“Our UK punters are more sceptical after years of disappointments and are all over Sweden,” said William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams.

Choreographer Arlene Phillips, who is the staging director for Humperdinck’s performance, said: “How fortunate we are that the UK has the ‘King of Song’ representing us this year. So all I needed to do was add a little magic to surround him. Come on, Engelbert, bring it home.”