When Elvis Presley married Priscilla in 1967, they instantly became one of the most iconic couples known across the world. Priscilla was put in the spotlight yet somehow, Elvis found ways to protect the privacy of her personal life.
Source: 12UP
It was not until recent years that Priscilla was able to speak up for herself and reveal some jarring truths about her marriage with the King of Rock. Read on to get a closer look at who Priscilla really is and what really happened between her and Elvis.
Priscilla was adopted
Priscilla is the daughter of James Wagner and Ann Lillian Iversen. Unfortunately, when she was just 6 months old, her father died in a plane crash. He was serving as a military pilot at that time. Her mother later remarried Paul Beaulieu, who was an Air Force Colonel.
Source: 12UP
Paul raised Priscilla like she was his own daughter and adopted her. Priscilla grew up thinking Paul was her biological father because she was so young when her mother married. She grew up using Paul’s last name. She did not find out the truth until she was a teenager.
Nomad life
Since Paul worked with the airforce, Priscilla and her family had to move around a lot. This had an impact on her development and she grew up yearning for something routine and stable. She often worried that she will never be able to have long-term friendships.
Source: 12UP
Priscilla eventually learned not to be too attached to anything because of their nomadic lifestyle. It seemed like every time she was able to make a new set of friends, her family had to leave town because Paul would be assigned to another military base.
Priscilla met Elvis in Germany
In the 1950s, Paul was relocated to Germany. This happened to be the military base Elvis served in when he was drafted by the US Armed Forces. Priscilla was just 14 years old and Elvis was 25 when they met for the first time.
Source: Elvis Biography
During that time, Elvis was making a name as a singer already. His songs Blue Suede Shoes and Heartbreak Hotel had already been released by then. So, Priscilla knew who he was when they crossed paths at a party.
Priscilla was not impressed
While most girls would be starstruck around Elvis, Priscilla was unimpressed. In a 2017 interview with Australia’s Today Show, Priscilla shared that she did not really like Elvis from the start. One of her best friends was a huge fan and showed her a magazine featuring Elvis.
Source: 12UP
In the magazine, there was a picture of Elvis signing his name across the breast of a blonde woman. Priscilla found this to be disgusting. To everyone’s surprise, Elvis was the one who looked starstruck as he acted like a nervous schoolboy around her. They eventually bonded over their love for music that night.
Priscilla’s parents did not like Elvis at first
The night she met Elvis, Priscilla came home from the party past her curfew. She told her parents that she was being wooed by Elvis Presley but her parents were unimpressed. Priscilla’s mother declared that Elvis was a bad influence and that Priscilla should never see him again.
Source: 12UP
But things changed when Elvis showed up on their doorstep to ask Priscilla out. He promised to have her home early and since then, her parents have encouraged Priscilla to date him regularly. It was as if they were won over by his celebrity charm and status.
Elvis opened up to Priscilla
While they were dating, Elvis’ mother, Gladys, had passed away. He grieved the loss and found comfort in Priscilla. It was said that Priscilla was the only person in Elvis’ life to ever see him in such a broken and vulnerable state.
Source: Elvis Biography
“I saw him at probably one of the most vulnerable times of his life. Losing his mother and then of course being drafted – which was devastating at the top of his career. So, he poured his heart out to me,” Priscilla recalled.
They maintained a long-distance relationship
Elvis ended his military service in Germany in March 1960. This meant he had to return to the US. Priscilla knew he would go back to his career and would probably forget about her immediately. When they said their goodbyes, she believed it would be the last time they would see each other.
Source: Elvis Biography
But Elvis proved her wrong. They were able to communicate constantly despite the distance. Elvis called her all the time for over two years. It was clear that the relationship was special to him. After two long years, Elvis sent Priscilla a ticket to join him in America.
Elvis had affairs
Priscilla moved in and lived with Elvis when she arrived in the USA. The two were so happy to be reunited again after a long time. At this point, you may think that the two finally have their happy ending. But this was far from the truth.
Source: 12UP
It turned out that Elvis had been having affairs while Priscilla was still in Germany. One of the most famous of which was with his costars in Viva Las Vegas, Ann Margret. And when Elvis and Priscilla tied the knot, he still went on with his infidelity.
The rumors about the engagement
Elvis proposed to Priscilla in 1966. Rumors say this was done out of pressure and that he was not really ready to settle down yet. Alberta, Elvis’ longtime housekeeper, and cook had found him crying the day before the wedding saying that he did not have a choice.
Source: 12UP
Some say the pressure came from Priscilla’s father who threatened that he would accuse Elvis of taking a minor across state lines for sexual reasons. Some say the pressure came from Priscilla herself, who got tired of the affairs and threatened to go to the press and talk about their relationship.
The wedding was short and intimate
Elvis and Priscilla got married in May 1967 at the Aladdin hotel. It was an intimate celebration and the ceremony was over in just 8 minutes. The newlyweds attended a quick press conference about the wedding before they proceeded to go to their reception party.
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By this time, Elvis had established his status as a superstar so it was no surprise that their marriage made international headlines. Despite their age difference, the union of the two was put in a good light by the media.
Priscilla was the ultimate housewife
Priscilla was a virgin when she married Elvis. In her autobiography entitled “Elvis and Me” She recalled telling Elvis “I’m not saying we can’t do other things. It’s just the actual encounter. I want to save it.”
Source: 12UP
Priscilla transformed herself into the ultimate housewife once she got married. She wanted to take care of Elvis herself and did not hire maids or housekeepers. She cooked for Elvis, washed the dishes, and baked dessert.
Elvis was possessive and controlling
Elvis turned out to be controlling and opinionated. He dictated how Priscilla should dress. Priscilla had even dyed her hair black for him. She felt like a living doll. And not only that but Elvis had this obsession with keeping Priscilla young.
Source: PopSugar
Elvis did not want Priscilla to do so many facial movements because it could cause wrinkles. Because of Elvis’ restrictions and preferences about her looks, it came to the point that Priscilla would not face him unless she had makeup on. This shows how Elvis made her feel insecure about her looks.
Elvis shoots his gun at the TV
Priscilla revealed that Elvis had anger management issues. Apparently, Elvis had a gun and he had the habit of shooting at the TV when he saw something that he did not like. They had to go through several TV sets throughout their marriage because of this habit.
Source: Debbie Williams via Pinterest
Priscilla recalled how it all scared her at first because there were no warnings. She’d just get startled hearing a gunshot in the house out of the blue. Now you might think this is a major red flag that would send any girl running but Priscilla has a reason to stick around.
Priscilla got pregnant right away
It turned out that Priscilla got pregnant right away. When she found out about the baby, it was a time when Elvis’ controlling attitude and anger management issues had been revealed. She feared that the baby would make their already strained relationship worst.
Source: 12UP
She suggested abortion to Elvis but found that neither of them could do it. Priscilla later gave birth to Lisa Marie Presley on February 1, 1968 – exactly nine months after their wedding night. Lisa Marie would become her only daughter with Elvis.
Priscilla never saw Elvis perform live until they got married
Elvis was the type of celebrity who wanted to keep his personal life and professional life separated. So despite being together for years, Priscilla was only able to see Elvis perform on stage a year after they got married.
Source: 12UP
When she finally had the chance to watch Elvis perform live, she was immediately overwhelmed. She finally understood why so many people loved him and why so many girls were going crazy over her husband.
Priscilla barely left their house
Priscilla had trouble adapting to living life with a superstar like Elvis. Her major complaint was that she could not go out of the house because the press followed them everywhere. She felt like a prisoner in her own home.
Source: Alicia Dean
In an interview with Loose Women, Priscilla said that “We didn’t go out. He didn’t like eating in restaurants because people would take pictures of him and he didn’t want to be shot… putting a fork in his mouth.”
Priscilla had an affair
Elvis encouraged Priscilla to take karate classes for self-defense. This advice ended to be the reason why their marriage would fall apart. Priscilla fell in love with her karate teacher, Mike Stone, and had an affair with him. Despite all of Elvis’ affairs, Priscilla shared her affair was not payback.
Source: 12UP
In her autobiography, Elvis and Me, Priscilla revealed that Elvis was not satisfying her needs. Apparently, he had mentioned to her before they were married that he was unable to make love to a woman who had a child. And when Lisa Marie came, they had stopped being intimate.
Elvis tried to win her back
When Elvis found out about the affair, he brought Priscilla into a hotel where he forcefully made love to her to display his sexual desire for her. But by then, it was too late. Priscilla had found what she needed in someone else and her heart no longer belonged to Elvis.
Source: Elvis Info Net
Priscilla left Elvis in 1972. Elvis filed for divorce on his 38th birthday, January 8, !973. As you could see, it took a while for Elvis to work on their separation. He was heartbroken and there was a time when he wanted to assassinate Mike for taking Priscilla away from him. Elvis put the plans off before it was too late.
The divorce was a financial loss for Elvis
The divorce hurt Elvis financially. Priscilla was able to walk out of their marriage with a payment of $725,000. Elvis was to provide marital and child support. Priscilla was entitled to 5% of the publishing company Elvis owned and she also had half the proceeds from selling their house in Beverly Hills.
Source: Pens and Patron
Despite everything, Priscilla and Elvis remained friends. The day their divorce was finalized, they left court holding hands. The two had joint custody over Lisa Marie. Their co-parenting duties allowed them to be close friends
Turning Graceland into a museum
When Elvis died, Lisa Marie was his only heir. She was just 9 years old at the time. Priscilla became the trustee of his properties on Lisa’s account. She also became the chairman and CEO of Elvis Presley Productions until Lisa turns 21.
Source: 12UP
Graceland, the King of Rock’s mansion, had a value of $1,000,000 and it cost over $500,000 a year to run it at the time. Priscilla had to find a way to run the mansion until she could hand it down to Lisa. And with the help of CEO Jack Soden, they turned Graceland’s first floor into a museum.
Making a name for herself
Priscilla had to find other means to earn money. She started a line in fashion and fragrances with the help of her hairdresser, Olivia Bis. They also run a popular clothing store together. All these efforts helped her establish herself as a businesswoman.
Source: 12UP
During the 1980s, Priscilla was able to find fame as an actress. And she was good at it too – she was in three Naked Gun films. In 2008, she was a contender for Dance with the Stars. It was clear that Priscilla had been making a name for herself, away from the shadow of being Elvis’ wife.
Priscilla had a hard time settling down
As it turned out, Priscilla did not have a happy ending with Mike. They split up in 1975 and since then, she has been dating around. A couple of men had been linked to her: Kirk Kerkorian, Terry O’Neill, Tom Jones, and Richard Gere. It seemed that she struggled to find the right guy after their divorce from Elvis.
Source: Famous Fix
That is until she found Italian writer and programmer Marco Garibaldi. They had been living together for 22 years and had a son, Navarone. Navarone was born in March 1987. Navarone grew up to become the lead for the rock band Them Weapons. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Marco split up in 2006.
Priscilla is a member of the Church of Scientology
Priscilla attended the Church of Scientology for many years. In 2017, the infamous and controversial religion confirmed that Priscilla had left their order. But a spokesperson of Priscilla refuted this claim saying that she was still a supporter.
Source: 12UP
The Church of Scientology has a lot of prominent stars as members, one of which is Tom Cruise. They have some strange beliefs that caused people to label them as a cult. In fact, it is also rumored that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes broke up because of his beliefs.
Priscilla gives back to the community
Like most celebrities, Priscilla shares her blessings through charity. She supports many causes and she has been an ambassador of the Dream Foundation since 2003. This foundation offers support for terminally ill patients.
Source: 12UP
In a 2014 interview with CNN, “I’ve been blessed to work with [the] Dream Foundation. The organization has impacted me in so many ways. I think when you see and experience someone’s dream with them, it lives on within you. It’s life-changing.”
Priscilla did not approve of Michael Jackson for Lisa
As we all know, Lisa Marie ended up marrying King of Pop Michael Jackson in 1994. It was as if she was following in her mother’s footsteps. And as a mother, Priscilla had doubts about their marriage as she saw some similarities between her relationship with Elvis in theirs.
Source: 12UP
In an interview with The Guardian, Priscilla shared “I just didn’t know if it was authentic or not. I just worried about if she was doing the right thing. I worried about… his agendas.” And as it turned out, her instincts were true. Lisa ended up filing for divorce just a few months into the marriage.