Elvis Presley’s Cousin Reveals if Gladys Presley Would Have Been Happy Her Son Married Priscilla Presley

Elvis Presley was surrounded by family when Priscilla Presley moved into Graceland. The Memphis Mafia and their families were ever-present within Graceland. His cousin Danny Smith, son of Billy Smith, had a front-row seat to life behind the mansion’s gates. In a new video, he reveals if Elvis’ mother, Gladys Presley, would have liked Priscilla Presley enough to allow Elvis to marry her.

Would Elvis Presley’s mother, Gladys, have liked Priscilla Presley enough for Elvis to marry her?

In a video posted to his YouTube channel Memphis Mafia Kid, Danny Smith answered a viewer question regarding Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley’s relationship. A fan asked if Smith believed Gladys Presley would have liked Priscilla Presley.

Smith explained, “When I saw this question, I had my thoughts. From all the stories and stuff that I heard about Aunt Gladys.”

He continued, “However, I talked to Daddy and Momma about it.” Smith’s parents are Billy and Jo Smith.

“I’m gonna give you their answer, and I agree with it. I personally always thought that if Aunt Gladys would have lived, things would have been different.”

Smith concluded, “That’s the first thing daddy and momma said. They said there was a good possibility had Aunt Gladys lived that Elvis would have possibly married Anita Wood.”

Danny Smith says the ‘stories he heard’ led to that conclusion

After hearing family stories, Danny Smith believes that Elvis Presley and Anita Wood would have tied the knot at some point in their relationship. He also believes Gladys Presley, Elvis’ mother, would have encouraged that union.

“But the story I heard was that Aunt Gladys was crazy about Anita Wood,” he revealed. “That’s a good possibility.”

Smith added, “I wasn’t there. I wasn’t born yet.”

How long did Elvis Presley and Anita Wood date?

Elvis Presley and Anita Wood dated from 1957 until 1962. They met after Elvis saw Anita on a teen dance television show she hosted in Memphis, Tennessee.

Wood hosted that show and a radio program in Memphis after winning a talent contest in 1954. Following, a member of Presley’s inner circle called Wood to tell her Elvis wanted to take her on a date. But she turned him down.

“I already had a date that night. I told him I wouldn’t break with Elvis for someone else, and I couldn’t treat him any different because that’s how I was brought up,” Anita Brewer said to The Vicksburg Post.

Anita Wood lived with Presley and his family at Graceland for several years and said she grew close to them. She was there when Elvis left Graceland after being drafted into the U.S. Army and was photographed holding Gladys Presley as Elvis boarded a bus for boot camp.

Serving overseas in Germany changed the trajectory of Elvis and Anita’s relationship. She discovered a love letter from Priscilla Beaulieu that Presley kept in his office and overheard him talking to relatives about her, leading Wood to leave Graceland for good.

Gladys Presley died on Aug. 14, 1958, while Elvis Presley was stationed in Germany. He would marry Priscilla Presley in May 1967.