The Real Reason Priscilla Presley Stayed Unmarried After Elvis | Vanity Fair

Written by Kenzie Bryant

Priscilla Presley opened up about why she never married again after her marriage to Elvis Presley ended. During a Q&A session at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas on the occasion of Sofia Coppola’s movie about her, Priscilla, she shared that the thought of marrying again never crossed her mind, a decision she had taken while Elvis was still alive. "Elvis wouldn't have been able to cope with that," stated Priscilla, aged 78. They got married in 1967 and separated in 1973. Elvis passed away four years later. "Frankly, I never felt the urge to marry after Elvis. I never wanted it," she said. Her longest relationship was with Marco Garibaldi, a writer-director, that lasted for more than twenty years. They had a son, Navarone Garibaldi, but never tied the knot. "No one could ever equal Elvis," remarked Priscilla.

Priscilla explored her relationship with Elvis in an article she wrote for People in 1985. They first met in 1959 in West Germany where Elvis was stationed as part of his US Army duties. At that time, Priscilla’s stepfather served in the Air Force. Priscilla was just 14 years old while Elvis was 24 when they met at Elvis's house, invited over by his friend Currie Grant. Elvis commented, "You're only a child," after discovering she was in the ninth grade. According to the account written by Priscilla in People, Elvis wanted to reserve the 'correct' girl for marriage owing to his Southern upbringing. "I was that girl. At the same time, he shaped me into his woman. I wore the dresses, hairstyles, and makeup he picked carefully," she reminisced.

Coppola’s film about their relationship, Priscilla, released last Friday, features their romance as its central theme. Lisa Marie, the couple's only child was not fond of the film's screenplay (although she approved of Baz Luhrmann's depiction of her father in the film Elvis, which came out the previous year). According to emails obtained by Variety, Lisa Marie criticized the portrayal of her father in the script as controlling and predatory, and not reflecting her father’s actual behavior or her mother's perception of him. Coppola responded to these concerns through a representative, saying that she hoped Lisa Marie would think differently after watching the final film, and assured her of handling the characters of both parents with great care and complexity. This discussion took place a few months prior to Lisa Marie's unfortunate death at 54 in January. Priscilla, on the other hand, quite appreciated Coppola's interpretation. In a chat with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Priscilla expressed "I feel she did her research," talking about how living with someone as famous as Elvis Presley and experiencing his highs and lows was portrayed in the film. Priscilla continued, "Sharing about the personal side of life with a celebrity is tough. I prefer to keep some of those aspects to myself, just for me."