The king had earned a reputation of being a ladies’ man, and in many ways, he had validated this statement, but he was an emotional and romantic guy, too. He could have broken up with Priscilla and married another, saying that they were too young when they met or that their lifestyles had made them drift apart. But Elvis Presley only ever married one woman.
As perfect a couple as they appeared in public, we have come to understand that they were still as human and, therefore, as fallible as we are. They fought, cried, and made up. They did amazing things together, as all loving couples do.
Elvis Never Spent a Night Alone
Shortly before Elvis Presley left the US to be deployed by the army in Germany, his mother passed away. The distance between them at the time made it tougher for Presley to take, and, sure enough, this gradually took a toll on him. Some say this was how Elvis came to develop the need to always be with someone at night. It was his way of coping with the waves of emotion that would otherwise hit in his solitude.
Thankfully, Priscilla was around to fill in the void his mother left. Priscilla’s presence reassured him of the value of life and bolstered him against loneliness. But so did another person in Priscilla’s absence.
Elvis Had Countless Romantic Interests
For many sought-after celebrities like Elvis Presley, who can have all they want or need when it comes to women, it seems hard to resist taking more than just “the one.” When he was still in Germany, still serving his country, he was serving someone else too.
Presley had a 16-year-old german girlfriend named Margret Burgin. His relationship with Burgin lasted only until he left for the States with Priscilla.
Elvis Never Saw Priscilla Without Her Makeup
It is said, albeit tritely, that it takes a lifetime to really know your partner. But Elvis Presley’s idiosyncrasies made him coil at the thought of getting too close to his wife, afraid that the magic might get lost when all its elements have been fundamentally broken down and analyzed.
“He never wanted to see me getting dressed, he wanted to see the result of getting dressed,” Priscilla said. Elvis Presley didn’t want to see her without makeup, and he never did. That way, he could forever preserve the mystique, which was sort of a big deal to him.
Someone Else Had a Say in Their Getting Married
As big as Elvis Presley was back in the day, there was someone behind him making the bigger decisions. When the news surfaced about Presley’s relationship with Priscilla, Presley’s manager, Col. Tom Parker, has been rumored to have pulled the trigger and decided marriage was the best thing to do for the good of the king’s image.
It’s not like the couple was forced into something they didn’t want, but Parker’s role behind the scenes is put into the spotlight here. Things weren’t as easygoing and fun as the rock 'n' roll tunes Presley was belting out.