Priscilla married the king of rock and got a great stone: a 3.5 carat engagement ring surrounded by 21 smaller diamonds. For all of you who have waited a long time to receive a ring from your man, you probably didn’t wait as long as Priscilla. The courtship that led to their marriage took place over a period of 8 years. Of course, the long courtship may be partly due to Priscilla’s age. He was only 14 when he met Elvis.
Priscilla’s family was stationed in West Germany at the same time as Elvis during his stint in the United States Army. Priscilla’s stepfather was an officer in the United States Air Force. Priscilla and Elvis met in 1959 at a party at the residence outside of Elvis’ base in Bad Nauheim, Germany. Elvis slowly convinced Prisclla’s family that she should live with her father and stepfather at the back of Graceland. Reluctantly, Priscilla’s parents agreed and Priscilla enrolled in the Immaculate Conception School in Memphis. Little by little, Priscilla was spending more and more nights with Elvis.
The couple were married in a civil ceremony in a suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. Elvis wore a black silk tuxedo and cowboy boots. Priscilla donned a beaded silk gown that she designed herself along with a three-foot veil and rhinestone crown. The ceremony was short and sweet with only a handful of family and friends in attendance. The breakfast reception that followed had 100 guests in attendance. At the reception, the two danced to “Love Me Tender” and served a 6-tier wedding cake.
Shortly after marrying, the couple had a daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in February 1968. In an interesting twist of fate, Lisa Marie Presley was briefly married to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.
Unfortunately, Priscilla and Elvis’ marriage was fleeting and the couple divorced in October 1973 and were granted mutual custody of their daughter. Lisa Marie divided her time between Graceland and Priscilla’s home in California. Elvis blamed himself for the divorce and felt like he was traveling often and away from home too often. Several years after the divorce, Elvis died at the age of 42. After Elvis death, Priscilla took control of Elvis Presley Enterprises and made it the organization it is today. One of his missions in life is to keep Elvis’s legacy protected and intact.
