With his brooding good looks and Rock ’n’ Roll royalty status, Elvis could have had any woman in the world, but the path of true love didn’t run smoothly for the King. At 24-year-old Elvis was serving in the US Armed Forces in Germany as part of his National Service. It was at his German home that he first met the pretty young girl that would eventually become his wife and mother to his only child. Fourteen-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu wasn’t a typical teenager, she was mature for her age and a good listener.
Already, one of the most famous faces in the world, Elvis joined the Army as a regular soldier, turning down the chance to entertain the troops. At the same time controversy was surrounding him, mostly from parents shocked by the frenzy his electrifying stage moves were causing among his young fans. The Army, his shrewd manager ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker said, would be good for his image.
After completing his training, he lived off base and, when his division was sent to West Germany, he brought along his father, grandmother and friends to live in a large rented house close to Army barracks. Elvis had lost his mother shortly before leaving for Germany and he needed someone to talk to. His magnetic personality on and off the stage drew people to him, yet he was a lonely man in a room filled with people. Plagued by self-doubt, he was the star who felt he never fitted in. Priscilla, somehow wise beyond her young years, seemed to understand that and the pair made an instant connection.
Always on my mind
Soon it was time to return to the US and Elvis arrived back home a national hero, the Army did wonders for his career. Priscilla became the girl he left behind and rumours of his dating the likes of Nancy Sinatra and Anita Wood were constant. Priscilla, smitten of course, waited anxiously for his calls, which reassured her that, although miles apart, the King hadn’t forgotten about her.
Two long years passed and she waited, while stories of his latest lovers were splashed about in the press. Finally Priscilla, now 17 years old, got the call she’d been longing for. Elvis wanted her to visit him in Los Angeles. She was overjoyed, but her parents were far more cautious. After some persuading and with a firm set of rules, it was agreed that Priscilla would join him when school finished for summer. Elvis, the smooth talker that he was, had a habit of getting his own way. No sooner had she arrived than he whisked her away for two weeks in Las Vegas. One of the rules was that they’d be chaperoned at all times, but they shared a bed for the whole trip!
Can’t help falling in love
Elvis wanted a partner he could mould and Priscilla was young enough to not yet mind. Her innocent schoolgirl image was soon replaced with short skirts, a full face of make-up and a fashionable beehive. “He wanted my skirts shorter, my eyeliner darker and my hair dyed jet black. I was his doll who he loved to dress,” she was later quoted saying.
The next time he asked Priscilla to return to Graceland it was to live with him. Once again, Elvis set about persuading her parents, this time with the provision that she finished school in the US. A strange life began for Priscilla. Still under the legal age of consent, she was chauffeured to and from school without being able to make friends or even tell anyone who her boyfriend was!
Graceland from the outside looked like paradise, but for the young Priscilla it was a big adjustment. They couldn’t do the things normal couples did. They didn’t go to restaurants because Elvis didn’t like people taking pictures of him. They were rarely alone as the ‘Memphis Mafia’, his group of closest friends, were always present. In fact, the only time they were alone was in the bedroom, but Elvis was surprisingly traditional and didn’t want them to have sex until they were married. He was also becoming alarming dependant on prescription medication. It was a lonely time for Priscilla. The wives of Elvis’ entourage became her only friends, she listened to the music he wanted to listen to and saw the movies he wanted to see – everything was decided for her.
Stuck on you
While she was at school, Elvis was in Hollywood shooting Viva Las Vegas (1964) and he met the woman that could threaten it all – Ann-Margret. Their connection was instant and on and off screen they seemed to fit perfectly. Elvis had never been faithful to Priscilla, but his relationship with Ann-Margret wasn’t just another affair, he truly loved her. It had to end though. He’d made a commitment and they both knew it.
Priscilla was his future and in 1966, just before Christmas, Elvis proposed, getting down on one knee and presenting her with an impressive diamond ring. They were married on Monday May 1, 1967 in Las Vegas. Priscilla was 21 years old. The wedding itself should have taken place in Palm Springs, but a press tip-off meant they made a last-minute switch to a Vegas hotel. The ceremony lasted less than ten minutes and immediately afterwards followed a press conference organised by Colonel Parker and a wedding breakfast with friends and family.
They honeymooned in Palm Springs and had another celebratory bash back in Memphis. They then spent three weeks of wedded bliss on their private ranch – perhaps the only time that Elvis and Priscilla would be truly happy together. Exactly nine months later their daughter Lisa Marie was born. Happiness was short lived and this great love story didn’t have a happy ending. The divorce may have been her idea, but there was no doubt that Priscilla loved her King.
Did you know?
Priscilla filed for divorce after just six years of marriage, leaving Elvis devastated. Shortly after their divorce Elvis recorded Always on my Mind – no doubt sung with his ex-wife in mind. The B side was a track called Separate Ways, with heart-wrenching lyrics that could have been written for daughter Lisa Marie.