Here’s Why Priscilla Presley Was ‘Nervous’ to Leave Elvis Alone
Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla Presley had their ups and downs. It wasn’t always about the love between them. Being the wife of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was hard work most of the time. When they married in 1967, she had to watch him wherever he went because of his fame. Hoards of women followed him everywhere, but Priscilla showed the world Elvis was hers.
How did Elvis Presley meet Priscilla Presley?
Priscilla fell in love with Elvis when she was just 14. She lived in West Germany with her mother and her step-father Paul, a U.S. Air Force captain, after he was transferred in the late 1950s. Elvis was also stationed in Germany and had a house in Bad Nauheim. He hosted a party one night and met Priscilla.
Elvis was in his mid-20s and was already a superstar, yet Priscilla had to stake her claim on him as soon as she saw him. She “had to keep him,” she tells People. “I wanted to go places with him. I would cry if I couldn’t be around him.” It turns out, Priscilla would do a lot of crying during her time with the rock star.
In 1963, three years after Elvis returned to the U.S. after serving in the army, Priscilla’s parents allowed her to move to Memphis on the condition that she live with Elvis’s father and step-mother, a mile away from Graceland. Four years later, in 1967, Elvis and Priscilla married in Las Vegas. He was 32, and she was 21. Talk about marrying your teenaged crush.
Priscilla Presley pampered Elvis
Speaking on the U.K.’s Loose Women, Priscilla said that she essentially lived in Elvis’ world. She was used to adapting to things, so it wasn’t hard adapting to Elvis’ way of life. But they lived in a bubble, not going out much because he didn’t want to be photographed. Priscilla didn’t have anything for herself. Her only friends were the wives of Elvis’s friends, and the couple went everywhere together.
Still, Priscilla cared deeply for Elvis and pampered him. “I was always ready to greet him at the door and pamper him,” Priscilla tells People. “I loved taking care of Elvis very much. I loved tending to him. I loved feeding him. We would baby talk, because you have to have your own language when you have that many people around. It was a good life. It was different, but it was ours.”
But Priscilla was in a battle, fighting against the millions of fans who all wanted a piece of her husband.
Priscilla Presely didn’t want to leave Elvis Presley by himself
In her early days with Elvis, Priscilla had to adjust to the amount of attention her husband got from fans, the media, and the world. Many times she didn’t feel safe leaving him alone.
“My God, I had to learn everything,” Priscilla says. “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 also had to put up with his enormous temper. “If he saw somebody he didn’t like on the TV, he’d get his gun out and blow it up,” she says. “Then he would tell his daddy to go get another TV.”
Elvis and Priscilla had their daughter Lisa-Marie in 1968, but their marriage didn’t survive. They divorced in 1973. However, Priscilla has always tried to keep Elvis’ legacy alive. “I truly cherish the great times. As you grow up, there are always fears and insecurities. But as you get older you understand it all.”
“I want to make sure these young ones learning about him now will take the torch and keep it going,” she continues. “He has a phenomenal legacy, and I will always cherish my moments with him.” No matter their ups and downs, Priscilla will always love Elvis.
