The True Elvis Exposed: Marriage Secrets, Lasting Love — and What Really Tore Him & Priscilla Apart
Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married for six years before calling it quits because of their respective infidelities.
September 1959: Elvis Presley Met Priscilla Beaulieu
Elvis and Priscilla had a 10-year age gap.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley when the then-14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu was escorted to the singer's home by his pal, Currie Grant, whom she met at the Eagles Club.
During her visit, the late King of Rock and Roll performed Rags to Riches and Are You Lonesome Tonight for his guests, but he eventually tried "impressing" the young woman.
"I saw Elvis trying to get my attention," Priscilla told People. "I noticed that the less response I showed, the more he began singing just for me. I couldn't believe that Elvis Presley was trying to impress me."
After their first meeting, Priscilla visited Elvis at his Germany home two more times, and they kissed on their third meeting before sending her home.
1959: Elvis Met Priscilla's Parents
Elvis drove his BMW when he visited Priscilla's parents.
On Elvis and Priscilla's fourth encounter, the young woman's parents insisted on meeting the Can't Help Falling in Love singer at their home.
He arrived wearing his Army uniform to impress Priscilla's father, who interrogated him about his intentions for her. Elvis admitted he was very fond of her, assuring the patriarch he did not have to worry because he would take care of her.
1959: The Courtship Started
The King of Rock and Roll was often linked to his costars while dating Priscilla.
After the formal meeting with her parents, Elvis started courting Priscilla despite their 10-year age gap and followed a routine while seeing each other.
In her autobiography, Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and King of Rock' N Roll, the 78-year-old Melrose Place star said their relationship never physically progressed beyond kissing and lying on his bed.
This mirrored what she revealed when she recently spoke at a Venice press conference for the upcoming film, Priscilla.
"People think, 'Oh, it was s--, it was this.' Not at all," she said. "I never had s-- with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving. But he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in mind and thought and that was our relationship."
March 1960: Elvis Left Priscilla To Return to the U.S.
Priscilla challenged Lisa Marie Presley's will after her daughter's death earlier this year.
Their relationship was tested when Elvis had to leave her in Germany to return to the U.S. Soon after he left, Priscilla locked herself in her room, unable to eat or sleep properly.
However, she found herself in the middle of reporters and photographers when she finally got the courage to go to school again.
Priscilla dealt with a little heartbreak when Elvis was linked to Nancy Sinatra, although the singer later denied the reported budding romance. She soon received a phone call from him 21 days after he left, helping them survive their long-distance relationship.
Summer 1962: They Reconnected in Los Angeles
Priscilla was said to be 'shocked' when the self-proclaimed love child, Deborah Presley Brando, confronted her.
Two years after their long-distance love started, Priscilla jetted to the U.S. for a two-week stay.
"For the next two weeks, we slept during the day and played at night," Priscilla said. "If there was a show, we saw it; if there was a casino, we gambled at it."
Before she was able to go to the U.S., she had to convince her parents to allow her to travel and promised to keep them updated from time to time.
During the same visit, Elvis reportedly introduced her to sleeping pills and amphetamines.
Following her short vacation, she returned to the U.S. to spend their first Christmas at Graceland.
1963: Priscilla Moved in With Elvis' Parents Before Moving to Graceland
Priscilla never remarried after her divorce from her "love of my life" Elvis.
To finally close the gap in their long-distance romance, Elvis convinced Priscilla's father to let her finish her senior year and live with his parents, Vernon and Vee Presley.
In the same year, she moved to Graceland and spent more time with Elvis and his grandmother.
December 1966: They Got Engaged
Priscilla's ex-husband spent his last days with his fiancee, Ginger Alden.
- ‘Elvis Was The Love Of My Life, Truly’: 50 Years After Their Split, Priscilla Presley Reveals She Never Stopped Loving The King
- Divorce, Scientology & Plastic Surgery! Priscilla Presley's Secrets & Scandals Revealed
- Priscilla Presley Finds Comfort in Friendship with Elvis' Pal Pat Boone After Family's Recent Tragedies: Report
Three years after they started living together, Elvis popped the question and presented Priscilla with a 3.5-carat diamond ring.
The actress recalled the "surprising" moment in her interview on NPR's World Café program in 2017.
"He got on his knee with a gift behind his back and told me to close my eyes," she said. "Of which I did and then told me to open them and he presented me with a beautiful engagement ring."
May 1, 1967: Elvis and Priscilla Wed in Las Vegas
Lisa Marie suffered health problems similar to what her father struggled with when he was still alive.
Elvis and Priscilla officially tied the knot on May 1, 1967, at a private Las Vegas ceremony that only lasted eight minutes.
December 1967: The King of Rock and Roll Asked Pregnant Wife for Trial Separation
Elvis never had any child aside from Lisa Marie.
Their almost-fairytale wedding hit a glitch when the King of Rock and Roll asked Priscilla, who was already pregnant with their first child, to spend some time apart.
"Cilla, I have to have time to think," she cited Elvis in a story she wrote for the Orlando Sentinel. "Things just aren't going right. It'll be good for the two of us to take a little time off, like a trial separation. Be apart from one another for a while."
Priscilla could not believe that her then-husband wanted a trial separation due to "some things" he was going through, saying that it was not Elvis' style.
February 1, 1968: They Welcomed Lisa Marie Presley
Elvis and Priscilla attending a birthday party with Lisa Marie.
Elvis and Priscilla welcomed their first and only child, Lisa Marie Presley, who died of complications due to a small bowel obstruction in January.
February 1972: Priscilla Had an Affair
Their divorce was a shock for both Elvis and Priscilla.
Despite having a child, their relationship hit rock bottom when Priscilla got involved in an affair with her karate teacher, Mike Stone. She told Elvis she was leaving him in 1972, and she was convinced to pursue their split because of her then-husband's own infidelities.
"He wasn't faithful, not that he had someone special, but when you're in the entertainment business there is always that and I tried to turn my back to that, but I just didn't want to share him," she said.
Elvis' friend, Mae Boren Axton, said the breakup "killed" him and hurt his ego.
February 23, 1972: The Couple Split
Elvis' fans hold yearly vigil in front of his Graceland mansion each year to remember the singer.
Their divorce documents revealed that they agreed to split and decided to live apart a few days after the revelation of their affairs.
Although it ended things between them, they continued co-parenting Lisa Marie to help the child feel stable.
August 15, 1972: Elvis and Priscilla Finalized Their Divorce
Elvis' life was immortalized in Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic, 'Elvis.'
Elvis and Priscilla's divorce was finalized and ended their whirlwind romance.
According to the divorce documents, she received his 1971 Mercedes-Benz, 1969 Cadillac Eldorado and 1971 Harley motorcycle. She also got half of the income from their first three homes on top of the $1.7 million and $8,000 a month for ten years that she got.