Teenage girls in the 1960s swooned and fainted when Elvis Presley gyrated his hips on stage, praying that the King of Rock n’ Roll would catch their eye and immediately fall in love with them. For these girls, the idea of being the teenage girlfriend of the hottest superstar on the planet seemed like a fairytale. Meanwhile, one girl was actually living that dream.
Priscilla was just 14 when she began dating Elvis. (tumblr)
Priscilla Beaulieu was a 14-year-old American girl living in Germany when she met Elvis. He was ten years her senior. The two courted and even lived together for the next seven years until they finally wed when Priscilla was 21 years old. Priscilla later claimed that her teenage years were “stolen” from her because of her relationship with Elvis. In these colorized photos, we get a glimpse of the life of the teen who would one day marry the King of Rock n’ Roll.
An American Girl in Germany
Colorized photo of a young Priscilla. (ranker.com)
Born in 1945 as Priscilla Wagner, Priscilla’s father, US Navy pilot James Wagner, was killed in a plane accident when she was just six months old. Her mother, Ann, remarried three years later and Priscilla took the surname of her new stepfather, Paul Beaulieu, a US Air Force officer. As Paul Beaulieu’s career in the military took off, the family relocated around the country every few years. The shy, reserved Priscilla dreaded the constant moves and struggled to make friends. In 1956, the family was living in Texas and Priscilla was looking forward to starting junior high school when her stepfather received new transfer papers. This time, to Priscilla’s dismay, the family was being sent to Wiesbaden, West Germany. Priscilla was crushed. How would she ever meet new friends in Germany, she thought?
A Star on the Rise
A young and happy Priscilla and Elvis in a colorized photo. (people)
The native of Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was a rising star on the cusp of superstardom when he was drafted into the military in 1958. He had already released a slew of hit songs, including “Hound Dog,” “All Shook Up”, “(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear”, “Heartbreak Hotel,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” He had appeared, amid much controversy, on the Ed Sullivan Show, as well as on the Milton Berle Show and the Steve Allen Show. He appeared in a few films as well. Elvis was the heartthrob of every teenage girl in America … the girls who were crushed to learn that Elvis had received his draft papers. After completing his basic training at Fort Hood in Texas, Elvis joined the 3rd Armored Division that was stationed in Friedberg, Germany, on October 1, 1958. Almost a year later, he met Priscilla.
A Chance Meeting
Priscilla was a shy girl, but she was always quite pretty. (pinterest)
Priscilla Beaulieu was starting her 9th-grade year in Germany when a serviceman asked her if she would like to accompany him and his wife to a party where they would meet Elvis. Priscilla’s stepfather met the soldier and his wife and also talked to the man’s commanding officer before he would allow Priscilla to attend the party. He wanted to make sure that the soldier and his wife were trustworthy people who would keep a close eye on 14-year-old Priscilla. With permission from her parents to attend the party, Priscilla dressed in a blue and white sailor dress and joined the couple traveling to Bad Nauheim where Elvis was currently living.
A Night to Remember
Even after Elvis returned to the U.S. he couldn't forget about Priscilla. (cheatsheet.com)
Pretty Priscilla caught Elvis’s attention as soon as she entered the party. By all accounts, the 24-year-old singer turned into an awkward, tongue-tied fool in front of Priscilla, even after she revealed her true age to him. He was determined to impress her, so he played several of his songs for her, including the sensual “Are Your Lonesome Tonight?”. Elvis was smitten and spent the entire evening getting to know the beautiful Priscilla. In fact, they spent so much time together that Priscilla missed her curfew. Her parents were furious and forbade her to see Elvis again.
A Budding Courtship
Elvis with Priscilla. (ranker.com)
Despite their age difference, Priscilla and Elvis began a budding courtship in Germany. She was still in school and he was serving in the military, but they spent as much time as they could together. Most of their meetings took place at Priscilla’s home. Elvis’s charm and his respect for Priscilla won over her parents and they finally allowed the two to date. They were often at each other’s sides until March of 1960 when Elvis’s two-year stint in the army was over and he returned to the United States to resume his career.
Not a Typical Teen
Colorized photo of 16-year-old Priscilla writing a letter to her boyfriend. (pinterest)
Even after Elvis left Germany, his heart was still with Priscilla. As for Priscilla, her life was turned upside down because of her relationship with Elvis. She was stalked by the paparazzi and inundated with requests to do media interviews. She received stacks and stacks of fan mail addressed to Elvis, as well as hate mail addressed to her from jealous fans. She and Elvis kept in touch as much as possible, but Priscilla could read the American tabloids in Germany, so she knew about rumors connecting Elvis with Nancy Sinatra. She was certain her fling with the rock star was over and she would never see him again.
Priscilla at Graceland
Elvis dictated what Priscilla wore and how she styled her hair. (vintag.es)
In the summer of 1962, Elvis invited Priscilla to visit him at his Graceland Mansion in Memphis, and, surprisingly, her parents allowed her to travel back to the U.S. for the visit. A year later, she convinced her parents to allow her to return to the United States for good. She lived with Elvis at Graceland while she finished high school. While it is true that Elvis and Priscilla lived together before their marriage in 1967 after Priscilla turned 21 years old, she maintains that they kept their relationship pure until their wedding night. Priscilla also claims that it was Elvis’s idea for her to save herself for marriage. She noted that she begged him to advance their relationship several times, but he was firm in his belief that they had to wait until their wedding night. Elvis controlled that part of their relationship, as well as just about everything else. He picked out all of Priscilla’s clothes and insisted that she never see him until her makeup was on.
A Very Public Wedding
The American singer Elvis Presley and Priscilla were married at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Beaulieu finally married on May 1, 1967. Their wedding was held at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Although there were few guests in attendance, wedding photos of the happy couple were plastered all over the gossip magazines. Priscilla’s marriage to Elvis marked the end of their seven-and-a-half-year courtship that encompassed the majority of her teenage years. Even though every teenage girl in America wished she was in Priscilla’s shoes, Priscilla opened up later in life to explain that it took her a long time to realize she could make her own decisions and direct her own path in life. For so many years, Elvis controlled every part of her life.
