Priscilla Presley recently sat down with The Guardian and opened up about how she got together with Elvis when she was fourteen and he was twenty-four. The actress mentioned that her parents couldn’t make sense of their relationship and explained how they bonded:
“It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why. I really do think it was because I was more of a listener. Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother, which he never ever got over. And I was the person who really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection.”
Priscilla also clarified the misconceptions about their relationship, mentioning that respect was crucial to them:
“Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life – not in numbers. That was the attraction. People think:’Oh, it was s*x.’ No, it wasn’t. I never had s*x 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 line in thought, and that was our relationship.”
She also touched upon the ending of their marriage and how they worked out afterward with Lisa Marie and such:
“It wasn’t because I didn’t love him – he was the love of my life. It was the lifestyle that was so difficult for me… We had our daughter and I made sure that he saw her all the time. It was like we never left each other. I want to make that clear.”
King of Rock n’ Roll and Priscilla’s relationship occurred in front of the public eye since its inception, and Priscilla’s parents were curious about this pairing in the beginning. Priscilla talked about the details of their relationship over the years many times. In the essay she wrote for People Magazine in 1985, she mentioned the interaction between her stepfather and Elvis:
“‘Just what is the intent here? Let’s face it: You’re Elvis Presley. You have women throwing themselves at you. Why my daughter?’ Elvis replied, ‘I happen to be very fond of her. She’s a lot more mature than her age, and I enjoy her company. It hasn’t been easy for me, being away from home and all. It gets kinda lonely. I guess you might say I need someone to talk to. You don’t have to worry about her, Captain. I’ll take good care of her.’”
The same year, in her interview with Barbara Walters, she emphasised how Elvis impressed Priscilla’s family:
“He came to the house and he was charming and wonderful. My family had a lot of faith in him.”
You can watch the whole interview below.
