The King and I

As she prepares to bring a new exhibition dedicated to Elvis Down Under, Priscilla Presley reveals her memories of the man she loved – and lost.

- TIFFANY DUNK

Every time Priscilla Presley walks through the ornate doors of Graceland, she takes a deep breath. As she gazes up at the grand staircase, vivid scenes of life with her ex-husband Elvis, the king of rock and roll, flood her consciousness. “It’s very reverent when you walk in,” she tells The Weekly.

“You just become silent. And I feel his presence there. I can see him – not visually – but see him walking down the staircase, remembering all the memories we had and shared and lived. They trigger off, and it’s almost like I never left, they are so vivid.”

From the time Priscilla Beaulieu met Elvis Presley in Germany at the age of 14, he became her whole world. They married when she was 21, had a child together (daughter Lisa Marie) when she was 22. And while she may have left the marriage when she was 27, Elvis would remain a central pillar of her life. After signing their divorce papers, the pair were pictured leaving the courthouse hand-in-hand. They would, Priscilla has said, form a greater bond post their split. For not only would they both admit to their mistakes and shortcomings, but she was now free to live her own life outside the shadow of a legend, to find her own likes and dislikes, form her own relationships and more.