Michael Jackson treasures on show in London

A life-sized throne, a crown and a rocket ship are among the out-of-this-world collection of Michael Jackson's personal belongings making its world premiere in London.

The bling-packed exhibition of fantastic treasures also includes an oil painting of the star dressed as a king and a triptych of canvases of the singer showing him being crowned, knighted and holding a magical sword.

Michael Jackson, The Official Exhibition opens to the public tomorrow at the O2 Bubble - just metres from where the singer announced his ill-fated comeback This Is It concerts earlier this year.

As some of Mr Jackson's best-known hits are piped through the building, visitors can wander around a regal archway with a crown and crest, used to welcome guests to Mr Jackson's fairytale Neverland ranch.

Beneath it stands Mr Jackson's 1967 Rolls-Royce Phantom, which was used by the singer and his close friend Dame Elizabeth Taylor to go for spins around Los Angeles.

Space-age items such as a rocket ship used in Mr Jackson's Leave Me Alone video also feature, as well as a carousel-style rocking horse which was a gift from Dame Elizabeth to the singer.

The saddle of the horse is inscribed: "To MJ love ET".

The display will open to the public tomorrow, just hours after Mr Jackson's This Is It film - the documentary of the singer's final months as he rehearsed for his string of comeback gigs - premieres around the world.

The O2 display opens with an original Jackson Five contract and features an array of his signature jewelled gloves.

The collection also lifts the lid on how Mr Jackson perfected some of his much-copied stage moves, including a pair of shoes designed by the singer with part of the heel cut out, enabling him to lean further forward while performing Smooth Criminal.

Also among the collection is a signed letter from former US President Ronald Reagan dated 1984, sending Mr Jackson good wishes following his accident when his hair caught fire while shooting a commercial.

Mr Reagan told Mr Jackson: "I was pleased to learn that you were not seriously hurt in your recent accident."

The former actor continued: "I know from experience that these things can happen on the set - no matter how much caution is exercised."

He told Mr Jackson: "All over America, millions of people look up to you as an example ... You've gained quite a number of fans along the road since I Want You Back and Nancy and I are among them."

Mr Jackson died in June aged 50, just weeks before his 50-date comeback concerts were due to start at the O2.

The two-disc record contains songs included in a documentary film of the same name about the singer, which will have simultaneous premieres around the world later this week.

The public appetite for Mr Jackson's back catalogue has seen many of the singer's best-known hits rocket back up the charts following his death.

The exhibition is organised by Arts and Exhibitions International, the company behind another blockbuster show at the O2 on Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.

Curated by the Los Angeles-based Grammy Museum, it will also travel to two other places worldwide, with dates and venues to be announced in the coming months.

Robert Santelli, executive director of the Grammy Museum, said: "Michael Jackson was undeniably one of the most significant entertainers in music history.

"His unique blend of dance, fashion, showmanship, spectacle and true musical genius marked a watershed moment in popular music."

As well as being crammed with Mr Jackson's numerous awards and gold discs, the exhibition boasts being the largest publicly-displayed collection of his concert and video costumes.

They include a metallic bronze trench coat worn in the 1990s during his History tour, a black fedora and the black silk shirt with a white arm band worn during the star's Black or White video, and a pair of rhinestone-encrusted socks.

Along with Mr Jackson's gilded throne with red velvet upholstery, featuring trumpeting angels and a crown, visitors can also see a red velvet cape fit for the King of Pop, with a detachable faux ermine collar.

Feeding his appetite for all things regal, the singer also collected models of palaces and included in the display is a model of Falkenstein Castle near the Bavarian Alps.

The climax of the collection brings fans to the costumes the singer would have worn during his This Is It concerts.

They show the singer was in no danger of toning his look down, with his new outfits encrusted with as many beads and crystals as in the singer's heyday.

Tickets for the exhibition, which runs until the end of January next year, are priced at between £15 and £17.50 for adults, with concessions.