Elvis Presley and Priscilla Ann Wagner first met in 1959 when she was just 14 and the rocker was 10 years her senior. It was at a military base party where both Priscilla’s father and Elvis were stationed in Germany.
WATCH: Priscilla Presley appears on Lorraine
Speaking to Closer in 2017, Priscilla gushed that she’d “never forget” meeting the Heartbreak Hotel singer. Despite the age difference, they bonded instantly
“I met Elvis at a time when he was lonely and he’d just lost his mother. He was still grieving and our relationship was based on bonding through his sorrow,” she told The Guardian in 2012.
But it took a while for Elvis to win over his future parents-in-law.
“My father said: ‘Absolutely not!’”, Priscilla told Closer. “My mother said: ‘I won’t let you walk across the street to see Elvis Presley!”
Eventually, Priscilla’s parents warmed to the musician and the teenager packed her bags and moved to Graceland, Tennessee, to be with her love.
The transition was difficult for Priscilla, who felt isolated in her new situation.
What’s more, Elvis’ manager at the time wasn’t too keen on the singer being in a committed relationship as he worried the heartthrob might lose his appeal with the fans.
“He was kind. He just didn’t want (fans) to know I was ‘the one’.”
But all fan fantasies were deserted in 1967 when Elvis and Priscilla tied the knot. Keeping things under wraps, they snuck away from Las Vegas’ Aladdin Hotel at 3.a.m. to procure their wedding license.
What was supposed to be the honeymoon period proved difficult as Priscilla started receiving hate mail from possessive fans.
Regardless, the pair remained a tight unit and welcomed their first and only daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, a year later.
While the Blue Hawaii star was intent on spoiling their little one, Priscilla tried to keep Lisa grounded.
When it came to fatherhood, Priscilla told The Guardian that Elvis “wasn’t a hands-on dad”.
“He didn’t really have that much to do with the practical stuff but I took naturally to becoming a mother. I thought, ‘My God, this is a product of Elvis and me and I’m going to be there for her.’’
As they raised their daughter, Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship started to break down, with Elvis being unfaithful and Priscilla admitting to having turned a blind eye.
Despite loving him dearly, she officially filed for divorce in 1972.
“Lisa was four when Elvis and I divorced and we were very civil and we really wanted him to stay in her life and they spent plenty of time together. Elvis and I didn’t suddenly not like each other.”
“People will say ‘well if you didn’t stop loving him why did you divorce him?’ It wasn’t really him, it was the lifestyle. The lifestyle was very difficult. And I think people just don’t get it,” Priscilla further told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2016.
Five years later, the rocker tragically passed away from heart problems.
“I love him. I still love him. I’ve never not loved him. Ever.”
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