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Decades after Elvis Presley tied the knot with Priscilla Presley, rumors continue to swirl about whether their wedding was sparked by more than just love. Now, one of Elvis Presley’s cousins is breaking their silence on a long-whispered rumor. Did Elvis marry Priscilla because she was pregnant with Lisa Marie Presley?

Was Priscilla Presley pregnant with Lisa Marie when she married Elvis Presley?

In a YouTube video, Elvis’s cousin, Danny Smith, son of Billy Smith, addressed speculation that Priscilla Presley was pregnant when she married Elvis in May 1967. According to Smith, who lived at Graceland for years, there’s some truth to the rumor.

In a video for his Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube channel, Smith answered a fan question regarding whether or not Priscilla was pregnant when she and Elvis wed. “My answer is definitely yes,” said Smith. “I think she was.”

He continued, “It is pretty much known from what other people have talked about, from all I’ve ever heard and seen.” However, he added, “I don’t think Elvis Presley ever wanted to be married to anybody.”

Smith concluded, “My opinion yes, I think he was pressured. And I think she was pregnant before they got married; my opinion. It is what it is y’all. That’s how I feel about it.”

How did this rumor begin?

Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s wedding on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas was one of the most talked-about celebrity unions of its time. Nine months to the day of their wedding, the couple’s only daughter, Lisa Marie, was born on Feb. 1, 1968.

Elvis first met Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959 while stationed in Germany during his service in the U.S. Army. She was just 14 years old, while he was 24. Their long-distance relationship continued until Priscilla moved to Graceland at age 17, under strict conditions set by her parents.

Despite the glamor and attention, their relationship was far from simple. Elvis was a global icon, and Priscilla had to adjust to a world where everything revolved around his fame. Their courtship lasted nearly eight years before they finally said “I do.”

Priscilla claimed she and Elvis had been talking about getting married for quite some time in an interview with Ladies Home Journal, as reprinted by Elvis.com.au. “Although many people thought our wedding was sudden, Elvis and I had been talking about it in stages,” Priscilla explained.

She recalls that his proposal was unceremonious. ‘”One day he showed me the ring and simply asked me to marry him.”

“We were perfectly content the way we were. But at that time it wasn’t nice for people to live together,” Priscilla added.

Still, Lisa Marie’s birth so soon after their wedding gave rise to endless speculation. Some believed the Presleys were racing against the clock to avoid a scandal, and the couple neither confirmed nor denied the speculation.

Why fans are still curious about Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s relationship

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Myths surrounding Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s marriage persist. Pop culture’s obsession with the couple and their love story has made them a magnet for rumors and innuendo.

Adding fuel to the fire are the multiple dramatizations of Elvis’s life, including Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis biopic and the film Priscilla, directed by Sofia Coppola. These portrayals dove into the complexities of the couple’s dynamic, blurring the line between fact and fiction.

While Elvis and Priscilla eventually divorced in 1973, they reportedly remained close friends until he died in 1977. Their bond, and the daughter they shared, became one of the few constants in a life filled with fame, fortune, and chaos.

So was Elvis Presley pushed down the aisle by Priscilla’s surprise pregnancy? According to one family member, perhaps. But in true Presley fashion, speculation endures, because when it comes to the King, even the truth sounds like legend.

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