To the public, Priscilla Presley is best remembered as the child bride of Elvis Presley. Many consider Priscilla a devoted mother. However, even if she did manage life in the spotlight with some dignity, how she is said to have managed Lisa Marie, hints at her much darker side.
Priscilla Ann Wagner was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1945. She met army conscript Elvis in 1959.
She was 14 years old at the time, and Elvis was already a superstar. Since Priscilla was a minor, the relationship sparked controversy.
In her memoir ‘Elvis and Me’, Priscilla describes how she molded herself to fit Elvis’s expectations of her. But was this eager submissiveness a form of manipulation in itself?
Priscilla feared Elvis would leave her for Ann Margret, so her father made an entry into the scene. He threatened to ruin Elvis’ career if he refused to marry Priscilla.
Marrying Elvis isn’t the only example of Priscilla’s manipulations. In her memoir, she attempted to rewrite history when she talked about her affair with karate instructor, Mike Stone.
According to critics, she moved the narrative away from the established belief that Priscilla starred as the passive victim. Instead, Priscilla was presented as an independent, free-thinking woman. She may well have been.
Lisa Marie Was Forced Into Joining a Cult
However, Lisa Marie’s account, and that of others, made note of Priscilla’s manipulativeness, not Elvis’s as she portrayed. She stated that it was Priscilla who was often away from home. Although tactfully describing their relationship as complex, Lisa Marie hinted at the lack of a maternal presence and emotional support.
Truly, there’s little doubt about Priscilla making some poor decisions around her daughter’s upbringing. Lisa Marie’s enrollment in the Church of Scientology at 12 years old after several years of sexual assault and after her father’s untimely death for instance.
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Little more than a cult back then, Lisa Marie was forced into the church with little concern about the impact its doctrine would have on her well-being. As it was, medicating damaged children into submission was part of their thing.
Later, Lisa Marie described the film ‘Priscilla’ made from the memoir, as ‘shockingly vengeful and contemptuous’ for presenting her father to the world as both manipulative and predatory. Priscilla on the other hand, oblivious to her daughter’s deep concerns, fully supported the film.
Priscilla Has Continued to Contest the Presley Estate
This strained their relationship even further so that even after Lisa Marie’s death, Priscilla was still fighting. She fought to contest the details of Lisa Marie’s trust management.
A 2016 amendment had removed her and her manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees in favor of her grandchildren. She badly wanted back in.
It was a similar story after her divorce from Elvis. She dropped the Presley name for a small fortune in spousal support, only to pick it up again shortly after his death. There are still disputes over the Presley estate and personal grievances between Priscilla and her grandchildren.
Even so, Priscilla’s contribution to the Elvis story and his legacy is legendary. She remains a complicated and savvy businesswoman who has negotiated her life from a wholly unique and uncompromising position.
Besides, there were others manipulating Elvis before the time she arrived. Perhaps, back then, strategic manipulation was the name of the game all around.
