On the musical genius’s birthday, we remember his relationship with a young fan.
Party with a star
Priscilla and Elvis Presley were the showbiz power couple of the 1960s and 1970s: so beautiful it’s sometimes hard to believe they existed. But was everything really as beautiful as the photographs of the time? This (and more) is explored in Coppola’s new film, starring Jacob Elordi (star of Euphoria) as Elvis and Cailee Spaeny, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Priscilla.
Priscilla Ann Beaulieu was born in 1945, and Elvis Presley in 1935. There was a 10-year age difference between them: when they met, Priscilla was 14, and Elvis was 24. She was an ordinary teenager, while he was already at the peak of his fame.
They met in 1959 in West Germany, where Priscilla lived, and Elvis was stationed there in the 3rd Panzer Division. One day, Priscilla received an invitation from some friends to a party in Bad Nauheim, and she went. Her appearance changed Elvis’s life—it was love at first sight. After that meeting, Elvis asked Priscilla for her phone number. She gave it to him, of course, but she didn’t expect Presley to call her. However, he did contact her, and they began dating secretly.
Meeting the parents
The secret meetings continued, and the time came to meet the parents—Elvis insisted, confirming the seriousness of his intentions, and the parents themselves insisted. Everything went better than expected. Elvis appeared before Priscilla’s parents in military uniform, which immediately endeared him to the girl’s father.
And his mother, like most women, was already enchanted by the musician. The only condition the parents set was their daughter’s education—she had to finish high school before the wedding. In 1960, Elvis’s tour of duty in West Germany ended, and it was time to return to America. Thus, Priscilla and Elvis began a long-distance relationship.
Moving to the USA
The musician constantly called and wrote letters to his girlfriend in Germany. But soon, rumors began to circulate in the media that Presley had begun a relationship with Nancy Sinatra. This was a blow to Priscilla. Elvis, however, asked his fiancée not to believe the press. The lovers remained separated until 1962, when Elvis took a step: he invited Priscilla to live with him in Memphis, at Graceland.
After the girls moved in, Elvis and Priscilla went to Las Vegas, where they partied, visited casinos, and went shopping. Presley personally chose her clothes and advised her on makeup and hair styling.
Elvis’s career was on the rise, and he was becoming increasingly successful and famous. This meant the press was writing about him more and more, including about his infatuations with his female co-stars. Priscilla tried to ignore this and continued to transform herself for her lover: there was no trace of the schoolgirl left. She dyed her hair black, wore minidresses, and wore high heels.
In 1966, Elvis proposed to Priscilla with a huge diamond ring, and she accepted. They married on May 1, 1967, at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. They honeymooned in Palm Springs, and on February 1, 1968, Lisa Marie Presley was born .
Peaceful divorce
“Even before their wedding, Elvis mentioned that he couldn’t make love to a woman who had given birth,” Priscilla wrote in her book, “Elvis and Me.” After the birth of their daughter, Elvis did indeed cool toward his wife, but he remained a caring father—he tried to spend time with his daughter and showered her with gifts. However, family life conflicted with the life of a superstar, and Elvis’s career always came first.
In the fall of 1971, Priscilla filed for divorce. It was a divorce without conflict or scandal—the couple separated on October 9, 1973, and did so with more than dignity. They left the courtroom together, hand in hand.
