In a newly discovered interview, Elvis Presley’s father Vernon has revealed the real reason why The King’s marriage to Priscilla Presley fell apart.
While the country was enthralled by the marriage, the couple’s relationship was anything but blissful. There has been widespread speculation as to why the couple eventually split but Vernon Presley revealed the real reason why they got divorced.
"I believe that Elvis' marriage to her failed simply because he realized after the wedding that he didn't really want to be married," Vernon said in a newly unearthed interview by the U.K.'s Express.
"When he was traveling, it wasn't practical for Priscilla to go along all the time, especially after Lisa was born. These separations put a strain on their relationship," he added.
Elvis was 24 when he met 14-year-old Priscilla while serving in the U.S. Army in Germany in 1959. The two moved in together when Elvis returned home to Memphis and they eventually married in 1967. Exactly nine months later they welcomed their daughter Lisa Marie Presley into the world. It was not long after that the cracks in their marriage began to show.
Priscilla went on to have an affair with her karate instructor Mike Stone and in 1972, she left Elvis. They were divorced the following year. Priscilla later said she "needed to find out what the world was like," per USA Today.
However, the tension between the couple may have been spurred by Elvis' regret at being married. Vernon said he and his wife never tried to interfere in Elvis' decisions and simply wanted him to be happy.
"His mother and I didn't try to influence Elvis' choice of a wife any more than we'd tried to influence his choice of a career," he said. "We didn't care whom he married just so long as she was the girl with whom he'd be happiest."
Priscilla was a "tender and loving girl" but in the end it was not enough to keep them together. The two remained close friends until the day Elvis died in 1977 due to cardiac arrest, which many believe was caused by his addiction to prescription drugs.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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