Priscilla Presley Admitted ‘I Had to Learn Everything’ to Keep Elvis Presley’s Rabid Fans at Bay
Life as Elvis Presley‘s girlfriend and later his wife posed challenges for Priscilla Presley. However, one of her most considerable difficulties was understanding the passionate nature of his fans. She admitted, “I had to learn everything” to keep Elvis’ many female admirers at bay.
Priscilla Presley admitted she had to ‘learn everything’ to keep Elvis’ fans at bay
At 17, Priscilla Presley moved from Germany to Memphis, TN, to live near Elvis Presley full-time. She temporarily moved in with Elvis’ father, Vernon, and his wife, Dee, as her parents would not allow her to reside with Elvis at Graceland.
However, Priscilla recalled to People Magazine, “I felt out of place in their home and did not want to be an intrusion in their personal life.” She continued, “Almost unnoticed; I began to move in my things. Elvis was still filming Fun in Acapulco in LA, and by the time he suggested I move into Graceland, I already had.”
Once she and Elvis were reunited, the couple lived together for four years until their May 1967 marriage. Then, Priscilla’s status changed, and insecurities about their relationship kicked in.
She told People Magazine, “My God, I had to learn everything.” Priscilla continued, “Women gravitated to him, so I would be nervous when he had to go places alone.”
“I would even go with him to get his teeth cleaned! I always had an eye on him because everyone in the world was after him,” she said of those early days of marriage.
Living with Elvis Presley also posed other challenges for Priscilla Presley
Along with the many women who gravitated toward Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley had to deal with other hot-button issues within her marriage to the king of rock and roll. One was his notorious temper.
In her memoir titled Elvis and Me, Priscilla recounted how, on one occasion, Elvis threw a chair at her. The dispute came after Elvis was upset over demo songs he recorded for a soundtrack album.
“Once, we were going through a stack of demo records for an RCA soundtrack album, and his distaste for each song grew increasingly apparent,” Priscilla said. “Finally, he found one that held his attention and asked me what I thought. I truly thought our relationship had developed to where I could tell him my honest opinion.”
“I don’t really like it,’ I said.” “What do you mean you don’t like it?” Elvis replied, to which Priscilla explained something was missing in the tune.
“To my horror, a chair came hurtling toward me. I moved out of the way just in time, but there were stacks of records piled on it, and one flew off and hit me in the face. Within seconds, he had me in his arms, apologizing frantically,” Priscilla shared of the incident.
Priscilla said she and Elvis Presley wed because of society’s expectations
In a 1973 interview, shortly after Priscilla and Elvis Presley’s divorce, she gave an interview to Ladies Home Journal. She discussed why she and Elvis tied the knot after living together for four years.
In an excerpt reprinted by the website Elvis.com.au, Priscilla explained why the couple wed. “Although many people thought our wedding was sudden, Elvis and I had been talking about it in stages.”
She recalls Elvis proposed. “One day, he showed me the ring and simply asked me to marry him.” Priscilla continued, “Even though we were perfectly content the way we were, it wasn’t nice for people to live together at that time.”
Elvis and Priscilla married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. They welcomed their first and only child, Lisa Marie Presley, on Feb. 1, 1968. The couple divorced in October 1973.
