Priscilla Presley Breaks Silence Over Rumors of ‘Forced’ Marriage to Elvis

There have long been rumors that Priscilla Presley was forced into her marriage with Elvis Presley, but now the King of Rock’s widow is breaking her silence on the matter. According to Express UK, during a Q&A session at Graceland’s celebration of Elvis’ 85th birthday, Presley spoke candidly about the issue, revealing she was finally setting the “record straight.”

“It was never that my father wanted me to go to Graceland ever,” Presley said. “I had begged my mother to talk to my dad. It was Elvis’ suggestion that I come and see him in the summer of ’62. It was his suggestion that I get my dad…talk to my mother…about me coming.”

She went on to add: “I never ever said, ‘Can I come, can you let me come?’ I was never that girl, I was very reserved. He’s the one who told me he wanted to see me. And my dad had to talk to him. I was going to stay with Vernon [Presley, Elvis’ father.] It was not that easy, but the stories out there that I wanted to come to Graceland…it was never that way round.”

She later explained, that “it was Elvis making the phone calls.”

“I didn’t know when he was going to call. It could be three months, it could be a couple of months, it could be maybe four months,” she said. “Again, he was also busy too. And back in the day, the telephone calls went through an operator, so it would take a few hours before we got the call. [My father] wanted to know his intentions. I mean, he didn’t want me hurt.”

Presley continued, “Elvis said he cared very much about me…and that he had plans for me. There’s all these stories out there that my dad forced him to marry me. I mean it makes me sick when I read that, because that’s not true.”

Later during the Q&A, 74-year-old Presley spoke about Elvis’ army service, and how he feared for his entertainment career once it was completed. “He was a perfect soldier, but heavy on his heart was coming back and not thinking he’d be accepted again,” she revealed. “Heading back to Graceland was strange for him. It was what he always wanted, he wanted to get back there, but things were changing. And it did change, it did change. [He went back] in fear of…change. Is he going to be able to keep it? Is he going to be able to afford all the things he was just getting into before the army?”

Photo Credit: Getty Images