Elvis Presley: Priscilla Says of the King’s ‘Outrageous’ Lifestyle, ‘I’m Glad I Came out Sane’
Elvis Presley‘s lifestyle has long been described as over-the-top. No one would know just how extravagant Presley’s world became other than his wife of six years, Priscilla. She was alongside the king as his life changed from rock and roll to cultural icon. However, his “outrageous” lifestyle was sometimes a bit difficult for Priscilla to understand. She once said, “I’m glad I came out sane” after years of living his excessive lifestyle.
Priscilla Beaulieu and Elvis Presley met when she was just 14 years old
Presley and Priscilla met during a party at his home. The singer, stationed in Germany during his tour of duty with the United States Army, became fixated on the young girl. Soon, their relationship turned from friends to a more romantic nature.
Priscilla lived with her mother, Ann, and stepfather, U.S. Air Force Capt. Paul Beaulieu, in Wiesbaden, when she met Presley.
In a 1978 interview with People Magazine, Priscilla recalled the first moment she met the King of Rock and Roll.
She recalled upon meeting Presley, he stood up and smiled. “Well,” he said, “what have we here? What are you, about a junior or senior in high school?”
When she revealed she was just in ninth grade, Presley said, “Why, you’re just a baby.”
Priscilla said of the King’s outrageous lifestyle, ‘I’m glad I came out sane’
After Priscilla’s parents allowed her to move to Memphis to be closer to Presley, she could see just how outrageous his lifestyle had become as their relationship grew more serious.
She said Elvis picked her up from school in a limo and flew her to Los Angeles while he was making movies.
“I had promised my parents a daily itinerary, and I prewrote letters for the time we were gone and had them mailed daily from LA,” Priscilla shared.
“I learned Elvis always preferred driving at night; it was more relaxed, and there was less traffic. He came alive at night. There was a big difference between the daytime and the nocturnal Elvis. When the sun went down, another personality took over. He could relax and play on breaks between films, away from Colonel [Tom] Parker, free of pressures and responsibilities.
“It was a lifestyle so outrageous,” Priscilla told People. “I’m just thankful I’ve come out sane.”
Priscilla and Elvis wed in 1967
After years of waiting, Priscilla received a marriage proposal from Presley shortly before Christmas 1966.
Col. Tom Parker tried to keep the event under wraps. He had the couple fly from Palm Springs to Las Vegas at midnight on their wedding day on May 1, 1967.
Reportedly, Frank Sinatra loaned the couple his private jet so they could get to their destination without any suspicion.
Presley and Priscilla got their license around 3 a.m. that same day.
They tied the knot in a room at the Aladdin Hotel in front of 14 people.
A champagne breakfast followed the ceremony for 100 guests
“My wedding was very unusual,” Priscilla told Vogue. “It was the people closest to us and private, and that’s how we wanted it. We didn’t want a fan club. We didn’t want a circus.”
Elvis and Priscilla would separate in 1972 and formally divorce in 1973.
