You Asked, We Answered: Here Is Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Relationship Timeline

Elvis and Priscilla Presley may be one of the most iconic and recognizable couples of all time, but we bet you didn’t know they were only married for six years, from 1967 to 1973. However, they were together for a total of 13 years (including their pre-marriage love story), which is…not nothing!

As for what they spent a good chunk of their time doing in the early days of their relationship, Priscilla opened up about it during an appearance at the 27th Annual Old Bags Luncheon at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, on February 18.

“We saw a lot of movies,” she said, explaining that theaters would call the couple up ahead of time so they could request screenings of specific movies. “We saw [them] first.”

“We would have dinner about 10 p.m. every night, and sometimes we’d see one, two, three, four movies all night,” Priscilla shared, adding that she’d still have to go to school the next day. “I was always late for school, I’m sure.”

Oh, and speaking of movies, several blockbuster films have been made about the couple’s lives, including Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis in 2022 and Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla in 2023. But the lens through which these stories are told paints completely different pictures.

The glitz and glam of Elvis received Priscilla’s stamp of approval, but it didn’t give much nuance surrounding her experience. On the flip side, Priscilla was based on her own memoir, Elvis and Me, and gave a grittier, more revealing look at the woman in the artist’s shadow, prompting such valid questions as, “Wait, she was how old?”

Allow us to soothe the burning (love). Here is everything you need to know about Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s relationship. Trigger warning: babies having babies. You get the gist.

To begin, here is a crash course in Elvistory. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley rose to prominence as a musical icon in the 1950s. He was considered highly provocative and a bit controversial in his early years for his performance style that today would be considered PG to a Harry Styles audience. One of the best selling musicians of all time, Presley sold more than 500 million records throughout his career. He is remembered not only for his musical style, but for his relationship with his wife, Priscilla Presley. Let’s talk about it.

How did Elvis meet Priscilla?

In the greatest PR move of all time, Elvis Presley was drafted into the military in 1958 at the height of his fame. The star had broken the brains of mothers and religious leaders across the globe with his sinister gyrations, and upon being offered the priority comforts of Special Service, he agreed to serve as any other soldier would, stating, “The Army can do anything it wants with me.”

In September 1958, Elvis was sent to serve in West Germany. While stationed in Bad Nauheim in 1959, he met a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, the step-daughter of a U.S. Air Force Captain, at a party at his house. He was 24 years old at the time.

From there, the pair began what would become a 13-year relationship. Priscilla maintains that things never became sexual until their wedding night, when she was 21, and he was 32. Elvis was sent back to the U.S. in 1960, and the couple maintained their relationship at a distance until the summer of 1962, when Priscilla visited Elvis in America.

By 1963, Priscilla had convinced her parents to let her move to Memphis full-time. She moved in with Elvis’ parents and enrolled in an all-girls Catholic school. Over time, she slowly moved her belongings into Graceland until she was living with the star in his humble abode.

When did Elvis and Priscilla get married?

Elvis proposed to Priscilla in December 1966 with a fat ring—we’re talking 3.5 carats and 20 removable diamonds, just for fun. She was 20 years old at the time.

In May 1967, Elvis and Priscilla married in Las Vegas at the Aladdin Resort & Casino, followed by a press conference. Celebrities, they’re just like us. Elvis arrived at the wedding on Frank Sinatra’s private jet, and the pair married in front of 14 people.

In February 1968, the couple welcomed their only child, Lisa Marie Presley. A few months before her birth, the pair considered a trial separation, their marriage affected by the stress of an unexpected pregnancy and rumors of an affair between Elvis and Nancy Sinatra. That private jet isn’t looking so pretty now, huh?

When did Elvis and Priscilla get divorced?

Elvis and Priscilla initially split in February 1972, following a string of rumored infidelities on both sides and a full-blown affair between Priscilla and her karate instructor, Mike Stone. The pair were officially divorced on August 15, 1972, but remained close until Elvis’ death.

How old was Priscilla when Elvis died?

On August 16, 1972, Elvis Presley died of hypertensive heart disease, exacerbated by years of opioid abuse. The degree to which the drugs contributed to his death are debated, but posthumous lab reports show significant amounts of drugs in Presley’s system at the time of his death. He had a heart problem and he had a drug problem, and ultimately he died of both.

Following the death of Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley never remarried. She remained in a relationship with Mike Stone until 1975, and went on to date Terry O’Neill, Robert Kardashian, Michael Edwards, and Marco Antonio Garcia, in addition to other minor flings. In March 1987, Presley gave birth to her second child Navarone Garibaldi, whom she shares with Garcia.

Following the passing of Elvis Presley, his only daughter, Lisa Marie, was named the sole beneficiary of his massive estate. In 1982, the family announced that Elvis’ beloved Graceland would become a public museum, which continues to stand as a popular U.S. landmark.

Lisa Marie Presley passed away in January 2023 at the age of 54 of cardiac arrest. Today, the Presley family legacy lives on not only through Priscilla, but through her grandchildren, including actress Riley Keough.