Elvis Presley Sent Priscilla Away Amid Rumors He Was Engaged to Another Woman

While Elvis Presley only married once, Priscilla Presley was far from his only romantic partner. He had affairs in the years he was involved with Priscilla. One of his most notable was with Ann-Margret Olsson, his co-star in the film Viva Las Vegas. Rumors even surfaced that the pair had gotten engaged. When Elvis heard this, he did little to comfort Priscilla. Instead, he sent her away.

Elvis Presley wasn’t happy with Priscilla Presley when she referenced affair rumors

Even after Elvis finished filming Viva Las Vegas with Olsson, newspapers continued to report on their affair 

“Elvis returned from the studio one afternoon, carrying a newspaper and fuming,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “‘I can’t believe she did it.’ He flung the paper against the wall in disgust. ‘She had the goddamn nerve to announce we’re engaged.'”

Priscilla knew immediately that he was talking about Olsson, as she’d tracked the rumors for weeks. Instead of comforting her, though, Elvis told her to pack her bags.

“Turning to me, he said, ‘Honey, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. The press will be hanging around the gate and following me all over for a statement. Colonel suggests maybe you should go back to Memphis till it calms down.'”

She could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Priscilla Presley threw a vase in her frustration at Elvis Presley

In her fury at this response, Priscilla picked up a nearby vase and threw it at a wall.

“I hate her!” she screamed. “Why doesn’t she keep her a** in Sweden where she belongs?”

Elvis told her that he wanted a “woman who’s going to understand that things like this might just happen.” They stared at each other in silent fury before Priscilla calmed down.

“I stared back at him, furious and defiant, hating him for what he was putting me through,” she wrote. “After a long pause, our tempers cooled considerably. Once again desperate to please, I said, ‘I’ll leave tomorrow. I’ll be waiting in Memphis.'”

Ann-Margret spoke about her affair with the musician

Elvis told Priscilla that reports of the affair were nothing but rumors. According to Olsson, though, her relationship with Elvis was very real.

“We both felt a current, an electricity that went straight through us,” she wrote in her book Ann-Margret: My Story (via The New York Times). “It would become a force we couldn’t control.”

She explained that while their relationship was “doomed” because of both their relationships, they still wanted to be together. And even though Elvis was furious with her for the rumors they were engaged, Olsson claimed they discussed marriage. As she held onto tenderness for him, she wanted to use her book to show the softer side of the musician. 

“There’s been so much, for some reason, negative situations surrounding his name that I wanted to show the man that I knew — generous, loving, funny, talented, gifted — and only show complete respect.”