Elvis Presley’s relationship with his wife Priscilla was controversial for the 10-year age gap between them – but just how old was Priscilla when she first met Elvis, and how old was she when they got married? While Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis biopic brushed over the more controversial aspects of Elvis’ relationship with Priscilla, leaving her age vague, Sofia Coppola’s new movie Priscilla is putting the focus squarely on that relationship. Based on Priscilla’s memoir Elvis and Me (co-written with Sandra Harmon), the movie stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi as Elvis.
In stark contrast with Luhrmann’s sensationalized telling of Elvis’ life story, Priscilla strives for raw honesty in its depiction of real-life events. Priscilla herself is an executive producer on the project, so she was able to confirm the accuracy of certain scenes and character dynamics. The biopic covers Priscilla’s life from the age of 15 to 27, but exactly how old was she when she first met Elvis – and how old was she when the couple got married in 1967?
Priscilla Beaulieu Was 14-Years-Old When She First Met Elvis Presley (He Was 24)
Priscilla Beaulieu was 14 years old when she met a 24-year-old Elvis on September 13, 1959. Elvis was throwing a party at a house he had rented in Bad Nauheim, Germany during his military service. According to Albert Goldman’s 1981 biography, simply titled Elvis, the rockstar was so smitten by Priscilla that he acted awkwardly around her. When she returned home late, her parents forbade her from seeing Elvis again. However, her parents relented when Elvis promised to never bring her home late again, and the two began dating. Since she was a teenager and he was 10 years older than her, this relationship was understandably pretty controversial.
Priscilla Beaulieu Was 21-Years-Old When She Married Elvis Presley
Elvis proposed to Priscilla in 1966 when his manager Colonel Parker reminded him of the “morals clause” in his record contract, which wouldn’t allow him to live with a woman out of wedlock. The couple got married at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, when Priscilla was 21 years old. The ceremony, arranged by Parker, caused some contention amongst Elvis’ inner circle, as some of his closest friends were excluded from the guest list. With Elvis and Priscilla married, the moral detectives at the record company were satisfied.
What Priscilla & Elvis Presley Have Said About Their Age Gap
Even decades after Elvis’ death, Priscilla continues to defend the age gap in the relationship. She has insisted (via Entertainment Weekly) that Elvis “respected the fact that I was only 14 years old” at the beginning of the relationship. She said that she felt like an old soul who was more mature than the average 14-year-old, claiming she was “a little bit older in life than in numbers.” Priscilla has said that their early relationship was based on communication, and that they didn’t have sex until they got married, although this claim has been disputed by biographer Suzanne Finstad.
