“She’s Young Enough That I Can Train Her Any Way I Want.” The True Story of Elvis and Priscilla Presley

People
4 years ago

When Elvis and Priscilla first met, she was only 14 years old, while he was 24. The girl’s parents were worried about their relationship, but Priscilla was in love and rebellious, and nothing and no one could keep her from being with the King of Rock and Roll. For Elvis, their age difference was not a problem at all: it was a good chance for him to mold Priscilla into an ideal wife. This was going to be a perfect marriage, but there was something their relationship couldn’t survive.

Here at Bright Side we took a peek behind the curtain of Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship, and here’s how the story played out.

The beginning

Elvis and Priscilla met in Germany in 1959. Elvis was sent there by the U.S. Army where he then served, and Priscilla’s family came to the country because her father was transferred there by the Air Force. Someone invited Priscilla to visit Elvis at his home, and she happily agreed. She captured the singer’s attention, and he played a couple of songs especially for her, even though she confessed she was a 9th grader.

“I saw Elvis trying to get my attention. 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,” recollects Priscilla.

Priscilla did not believe that Elvis was ever going to call her back and she was sure that their first date was going to be their last one. But he did call her back. After a couple of days Priscilla’s parents insisted that meeting their daughter’s crush in person was necessary. Priscilla recollects that Elvis came all dressed up in his uniform, which her father loved. The men had a long talk, and eventually, Priscilla’s parents were so charmed by Elvis that they let the 2 continue to see each other.

Priscilla was a very beautiful young girl who received a lot of looks from the boys at school. She remembers that, once, a picture of her wearing tight sweater was stolen from the bulletin board at school. Priscilla’s young age meant that she and Elvis were not supposed to show up in public together, but the 2 kept seeing each other.

Elvis liked it that Priscilla was inexperienced and young, and their age gap was not a problem for him. He saw it as his chance to mold the perfect wife for himself. He once told his friend: “She’s young enough that I can train her any way I want.”

Priscilla recollects that Elvis shared his idea with her of a perfect woman and his desire to turn Priscilla into one. “On nights when his mood was calm and peaceful, he would describe his ideal woman and tell me how perfectly I fit this image. He liked soft-spoken brunettes with blue eyes. He wanted to mold me into his opinions and preferences. Fidelity was very important to him, especially on the woman’s part.”

Marriage and family life

In 1960, Elvis left Germany, while Priscilla and her family stayed. The 2 would occasionally see each other when he asked her to come to the USA, and this continued for several years before they finally got married. Priscilla remembers those years as a “suspended animation” where she would wait for Elvis’s infrequent calls and count the days to their next meeting. She also heard a lot of gossip about his love affairs with other women, ranging from the girl next door to celebrities.

Elvis proposed in 1966, and the 2 got married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Elvis felt pressured to marry because he was afraid of a potential scandal that could take place if he didn’t. He continued to change his wife to fully meet his expectations. Priscilla, who later called herself “Elvis’s living doll” put porcelain caps on her teeth, improved her posture, dyed her hair black, and put it in an updo to match the image of the King.

On February 1, 1968, Priscilla gave birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie. After Priscilla became a mother, she felt that Elvis lost his interest in her. Just like before their marriage, he kept having love affairs with other women, and Priscilla kept finding love letters addressed to her husband. As time went by, she realized that she was not willing to put up with that and just wait around for him at home.

“My life was his life. He had to be happy. My problems were secondary. I want to grow. I want to do things,” she said in one of her interviews. She got tired of the pressure of living up to her husband’s expectations. She admits that she never appeared before his eyes without makeup and never got dressed in front of him: “He wanted to see the end result.”

Divorce and the King’s decline

In 1972, Priscilla told Elvis she was leaving him, and soon the 2 divorced and shared custody of their daughter. While the single Priscilla blossomed and tried to finally gain control of her own life, Elvis became addicted to prescription drugs and was having financial difficulties. He had several love affairs after his marriage with Priscilla was over, and proposed to Ginger Alden.

Their marriage, however, was not meant to be. On August 16, 1977 Elvis was found dead. He was 42. Priscilla was devastated when she learned Elvis was gone, and she just couldn’t believe it. She had hoped that Elvis would’ve checked into a hospital to hide from the public eye, stay alone for a while, and come back later. “It was shocking. Like to the world, only a million times more,” she confessed.

Despite the divorce and tense marriage, Priscilla and Elvis remained close. She remembers how he used to call her to share his worries, and how she cherished every call. After the divorce, Priscilla launched her career as an actress and a business woman. She never got married again, but she did have a long relationship in which she gave birth to her son, Navarone.

She opened the house in Graceland to tourists so that she could have the opportunity to pay taxes and bills, without selling the house where she and Elvis lived together as a family. Graceland has become the second most visited home in the USA ,after the White House. Priscilla faithfully keeps the good memories of her ex-husband alive, takes part in events devoted to his music, and still calls him “the love of her life.”

How do you feel after reading Elvis and Priscilla’s love story? What do you think about relationships in which one partner tries to “mold” the other one according to their preferences?

Comments

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4 years ago
OMG Karen, why have you deleted this comment?

Elvis and cilla were very young . Elvis Presley did die he faked his own death there's lots of evidence to prove that he is alive such as when lisa's son Benjamin was born there is an old newspaper article with elvis holding Benjamin

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I feel she really needs to get rid of his last name. Come now. Ur just living on that name cus it makes u a "somebody" if u wanted ur own life then the name has to go. Ughs.

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I have had the same idea of ELVIS STILL BEING ALIVE SINCE THEY REPORTED HIS DEATH AND I BELIEVE HE REALLY JUST WANTED TO JUST LIVE HIS LIFE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. I PRAY THAT HE IS LIVING A LIFE OF PEACE !!!!

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As a peodofile sleeping with an 14 year old Who admitted he wanted to mould her. I cant see where the slag comes from. Unless you are one of those people who believe he would choose you like a child hood crush so sad

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he wasn't considered a pedophile in those days. In our eyes today, in this day in age he would be considered that, but only if he was sleeping with her. He never touched her. He respected her. Until he married her at the age of 19yrs old. Now tht was totally respectable.

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Well I think he was wrong for treating you having no respect and going around and cheating on you know it's bad but Elvis Presley made it ahead on TV and I really miss you him cuz he was too young to die I was sad I couldn't believe you is gone

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I believe had she NOT LEFT him, his life would have been different...she's the reason he started having soo much illnesses...when she left, he didn't care anymore. He loved her so much ?☹☹???

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If he loved her, he wouldn't try to mold her into his own image of perfect woman and he wouldn't cheat. That's NOT love, she was his doll. It's not her fault what happened to him after their divorce. Everyone is responsible for their own actions and so was he. I can't actually believe you could say something like this.

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She too cheated she was having an affair with her karate instructor Mike Stone so there you go plus. She knew what she was doing and getting into after all. He was Elvis a man every woman in the. World wanted so there you ggo gget off your high horse

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This is not true Elvis never wanted to marry her,yes in the the year when Elvis met her in 58,then after her dreadful parents allowing her to come stay with his dad till she turned of age by that time he met and fell in love with Ann Margaret, but because Parker feared another Jerry Lewis moment ,he rushed Elvis to marry her in Vegas,and she knows this,but she has been living of as all those that knew Elvis ever since,and the only person who he truly loved was his mom.

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Elvis life changed for the worse when he met scumbag Parker,which his mom told him to stay away as she saw the devil in him,and the biggest thing when his mom died it was that point the Elvis the pelvis died,then sadly the Elvis that did what he was told was born then while in army started taking drugs,Elvis was giving gods singing voice and the looks of a Greek god,and Elvis as many couldn't cope,and sadly know one could save Elvis he wanted to be with his mom and brother, like many things Priscilla was a toy and by 68 he was bored and found a new exciting toy in Ann Margaret, but Parker fearing another Jerry Lee Lewis moment be it that was is 14 year old cousin rush them to Vegas to be married,the sad fact Elvis mentally was a big spoilt child that could do or say what he liked and he knew this except when came to Parker.

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I belief tht they had a story book romance. I believe tht they truly loved each other's, and Elvis did mold Cilla like he wanted. She allowed him to do tht only becuz she was in love with him. Being as young as she was she was very infatuated with Elvis, only becuz she was in awe with the fact tht Elvis was famous and couldn't believe tht she was actually standing there in his home about to meet tht someone the people loved and was crazy about. Omg!!! If I was her I would be beside myself knowing I was about too meet the famous Elvis Presley. Any young teenager would be excited to meet Elvis, who wouldn't be, and to find out later tht he really liked her. The one thing I loved about Elvis is the respect he gave her. He never was intimate with her until she was 19yrs old and he married her. There was so many things wrong with they're relationship. Yes, Elvis was with other women his co-stars. Women he made movies with not sure if all of them were, but I believe we all know tht he had a relationship with Ann Margaret. We only know what was put out there after his death. Elvis was a very private person he was never really in the public eye or he wasn't ever talked about being with other women when he was married, you never seen any pictures of him and other women, romantically involved. Priscilla didn't have a life beyond Graceland she lived Elvis' life. In this day in age if a man of Elvis' age back than pursued a 14yr old tht would be a major problem. Thts what would be called child molestation. But back in those days ppl didn't think anything was wrong. Just a famous man perusing a relationship with a 14yr old, and tht famous man happened to be Elvis Presley. We can't really judge on how this whole relationship came about. We can't talk about Elvis or what he might have done as for hvn other women, while Priscilla was living at Graceland. One thing I can say is he respected Priscilla and he allowed her to grow up and she became the woman he wanted her to be. He basically got his wish and molded her into the kind of wife he wanted. No one can really speak on what really happened in there relationship, becuz we knew NOTHING! Things were written about Elvis only after his untimely death. The one person tht knows the truth about Elvis/Cilla is Priscilla. There has been movies made about Elvis on his early life, how he begun his career. The movie tht Priscilla made about her and Elvis. (Elvis/Me) I didn't really like the movie, first Elvis' character didn't look nothing like Elvis, but the actress tht portrayed Priscilla was spot on. Like I said NO ONE will ever know the true facts about the life of Elvis and Priscilla Presley except Priscilla herself. In the movie Elvis/Me, there was certain things in the movie I didn't like. Priscilla made Elvis out to be like a bad person. She also had some good qualities about him. Overall I didn't like the movie at all. Now she wants to have another movie made, which is going to be about Elvis and his manager the col. Lisa doesn't want the movie to be made becuz she doesn't want her dad to be portrayed as a bad person. She feels instead of the movie being about Elvis/the Col. She feels tht the focus will turn out to be on her dad/mom. Thts something she doesn't want. I agree with her, what more is there too know about Elvis. In my opinion I think the Col. Did Elvis wrong he kept Elvis from making the kind of movies Elvis wanted to make. There was also talks about how he made Elvis do concerts so he can get half of what Elvis made. Why? Becuz the Col. Was addicted to gambling. This came strictly from Elvis' bodyguards. If it wasn't for Elvis, Priscilla wouldn't have the fame she has. If Elvis never married Priscilla, would she remain a nobody and would she still be in Germany, or wherever her father would have gotten stationed at, who knows. I believe Elvis/Priscilla, Loved each other's very much, but the life of a rock star and movie star was too much for Priscilla to handle. In the end the love they shared was very much still present especially for Elvis. Before he died, Elvis asked Priscilla to come back to him but she told him no. I truly believed Elvis died of a Broken heart. No matter how famous or Rich Elvis was I believe he was very lonely and sad. I would watch some of his concerts and I would see sadness especially with certain songs he sang. I think if Priscilla would have stayed with Elvis she would have had a son for him. The son she had for the Man she's been with for years. Priscilla WAS a very beautiful woman. Your well into ur 70's. you should have let Urslf age gracefully without any plastic surgeries. You RUINED Urslf. You were ONCE a beautiful woman whom fell in love with the KING OF ROCK AND ROLL. Yes, I believe the love they had was true and genuine. I just wish there wasn't anymore movies made About Elvis. I think enuff is enuff THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER ELVIS NO MATTER HOW MANY PPL TRY TO IMITATE HIM. HE WAS UNIQUE, HIS MOVES, HIS VOICE, HIS CHARISMA, AND HIS AMAZING BEAUTIFUL HEART. HE WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MAN I'VE EVER SEEN THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER ELVIS!!!! I MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU....YOU ARE TRULY MISSED BY SO MANY, YOU HAVE TRULY IMPACTED SO MANY LIVES. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE ALIVE WITHIN MY HEART AND IN SO MANY AS WELL. AS LONG AS YOUR SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND STRONG. YOU WILL CONTINUE TO TOUCH SO MANY LIVES WITH YOUR MUSIC....YOU WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON......YOU MIGHT HAVE GONE HOME TO OUR FATHER....BUT YOU ARE STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE AND YOUR ARE ALIVE AND WELL....WITHIN EACH HEART YOU'VE TOUCHED?????????

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There's no love story here with Elvis but a predator. How about the parents that allowed such a tragic story of money lies and a child who doesn't know real love from God . victim of deception and reality is grown adults allowed this . love story no but deception yes. Thank goodness Lisa Marie was born to be greater to her life even when she had hard times as her mother did as I see it it's a miracle both were blessed in surviving the wolf's around them .

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Any body can say anything about anyone when they are no present on planet earth elvis has left the planet

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Elvis presley, don't know love, he only loved him self & women's around him, he had kid baby from lovely woman who in loved 1's in life times, God's great gift is played by old man who had no love. I feel bad about Aaron Elvis presley, he had twin bro, wish other part of Elvis was with presela not Elvis who played with him self he will & won't be happy, Elvis commits adultery , that's very, very bad. He's dead in being star even after life he won't go on being flirt all his life anyway he's a dead sleepning.

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This article is full of misleading half-truths. It comes from hearsay & hindsight Elvis was always known as a generous, loving man. In the 60s, it was a much different time & marrying young was encouraged. My mom & dad got married when mom was 16 & dad was 19. They had a happy marriage for 40 years.

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The first thought that comes to my mind is "let he who has not sinned cast the first stone" from the bible.
I've had a similar relationship with my husband with an age difference .
Like Priscilla I wanted to spend all my time with him and nothing has ever changed that. He will always be the love of my life.
It will never cease to amaze me how people think they know the intimacies and intricacies of our beloved Elvis and Priscilla's relationship from the time they met till his untimely death.
I have loved Elvis and Priscilla since I was a young teen.
My feelings will never change !
My husband feels the same.
SO sick of this...

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