When you think of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, you think of the jumpsuits, the hair, and that unmistakable growl. But for a guy who sang endlessly about love, heartache, and "burning love," his actual legal track record in the marriage department was surprisingly short. Honestly, if you ask most people who was Elvis married to, they’ll give you one name.
Priscilla Presley. That’s it. That’s the list.
Despite being one of the most lusted-after men in the history of modern civilization, Elvis Aaron Presley only ever walked down the aisle one time. He had plenty of girlfriends, a few fiances, and a string of legendary leading ladies, but Priscilla Beaulieu was the only one who actually got the ring and the certificate. Their relationship was—to put it mildly—complicated. It started in a different country, faced a massive age gap that would cause a total meltdown on social media today, and ended in a courthouse in 1973.
The beginning: A 14-year-old and a GI in Germany
It’s the fact that always makes people do a double-take. Elvis met Priscilla in 1959 while he was stationed in West Germany with the U.S. Army. He was 24 years old. Priscilla was just 14.
She was the daughter of an Air Force officer, and they met at a party at Elvis’s off-base residence. According to Priscilla’s own memoir, Elvis and Me, the singer was immediately taken with her. He reportedly told her she was "just a baby" when she admitted she was a freshman in high school. But he kept asking to see her.
Their courtship in Germany was mostly about talking. Elvis would spend hours pouring his heart out to her about his mother, Gladys, who had recently passed away, and his fears about his career fading while he was away from the spotlight. Priscilla has often said that she became his "living doll," someone he could mold and talk to without the pressure of his fame.
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When Elvis left Germany in 1960, many thought that was the end of it. It wasn't. They stayed in touch through letters and phone calls for two years before Elvis convinced her parents to let her visit him in Los Angeles and later move to Memphis.
Moving to Graceland
By 1963, Priscilla was living at Graceland. The arrangement was pretty specific: she had to finish high school at a local Catholic girls' school and live with Elvis’s father, Vernon, and his stepmother in a separate house. At least, that was the story for her parents. In reality, she was spending most of her time at the mansion.
Elvis basically redesigned her. He wanted her hair dyed jet black to match his. He wanted her to wear heavy "kohl" eyeliner and dress in mature, sophisticated clothes. Basically, he was creating his ideal woman from scratch.
The 1967 Las Vegas Wedding
For years, the couple lived together without a marriage license. This reportedly didn't sit well with the Colonel—Elvis's infamous manager, Tom Parker. The Colonel was worried about Elvis's "clean-cut" image and the RCA morals clause. There are varying accounts of how the proposal happened, but most agree it wasn't exactly a spontaneous burst of romance. Some friends, like Marty Lacker, claimed Elvis felt pressured into it.
Regardless of the "why," they got married on May 1, 1967.
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The ceremony was at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. It was a private affair—shockingly short, actually. The whole thing took about eight minutes. Priscilla wore a white silk chiffon gown she’d bought off the rack, hiding her identity during the shopping trip with a blonde wig.
They had a press conference right afterward, then a champagne breakfast with about 100 guests. It was the peak of their "power couple" status. Nine months to the day after the wedding, their only child, Lisa Marie Presley, was born.
Why the marriage fell apart
If you look at the photos from 1967, they look like the perfect American family. But behind the gates of Graceland, things were getting messy.
Elvis had a hard time balancing his role as a husband and father with his status as a sex symbol. Priscilla famously wrote that Elvis lost interest in her sexually after she became a mother. He reportedly told her he couldn't make love to a woman who had a child.
Then there were the "other women." Elvis was constantly surrounded by the "Memphis Mafia"—his inner circle of male friends—and he spent months away on movie sets or performing in Vegas. Infidelity was basically a standard feature of the lifestyle.
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Priscilla didn't just sit at home and wait, though. She began her own affair with a karate instructor named Mike Stone. By 1972, she told Elvis she was leaving.
"I did not divorce him because I didn't love him. He was the love of my life, truly. If anything, I left because I needed to find out what the world was like." — Priscilla Presley, 2016.
The divorce was finalized in October 1973. In a rare move for Hollywood, they walked out of the courthouse holding hands. They remained incredibly close until the day he died in 1977.
The women who almost became Mrs. Presley
While Priscilla was the only one who officially was who Elvis was married to, two other women came very close to the title.
- Linda Thompson: After the split with Priscilla, Elvis dated the former Miss Tennessee for four years. She lived at Graceland and essentially became his primary caregiver as his health began to decline. They never married, and Linda eventually left because she wanted a "normal" life away from the prescriptions and the 24/7 chaos of the King's world.
- Ginger Alden: This was the final girlfriend. Elvis proposed to Ginger in early 1977 with a massive diamond ring. They were engaged for about nine months before he passed away. While some members of the Memphis Mafia were skeptical about the engagement, Ginger has always maintained they were planning a wedding for later that year. She was the one who found him on the bathroom floor at Graceland on August 16, 1977.
What about Ann-Margret?
Fans still obsess over Ann-Margret. They starred together in Viva Las Vegas and had an electric chemistry that wasn't just acting. Priscilla admitted in her book that Ann-Margret was the woman she feared the most. While they had a serious affair, Elvis reportedly felt he couldn't marry her because she was "too much" like him—ambitious, famous, and independent. He wanted a woman who would stay home.
Summary of the facts
If you're looking for the quick breakdown of Elvis’s marital history, here’s the reality:
- Only Wife: Priscilla Presley (m. 1967, div. 1973).
- Children: One daughter, Lisa Marie Presley (1968–2023).
- Engagement: Ginger Alden (at the time of his death).
- Longest post-divorce relationship: Linda Thompson (1972–1976).
Actionable Insight: If you're interested in the nuances of their marriage, the best source is still Priscilla’s memoir Elvis and Me. It provides a firsthand look at the power dynamics of their relationship. For a more critical historical perspective, Peter Guralnick’s two-volume biography of Elvis (Last Train to Memphis and Careless Love) is considered the gold standard for factual accuracy regarding his personal life and the people around him.