Elvis and Priscilla: How Much of the Presley Biopic Is True?

Earlier this month, we were treated to another big-screen treatment of the inside lives of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Unlike Baz Luhrmann’s movie, Sofia Coppola’s film spotlighted Priscilla Presley in an attempt to unravel her relationship with her famous spouse, Elvis.

The book Elvis and Me, written by Priscilla, forms the basis of the latest Presley flick, which stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi as the leading couple. But coming out of the movie, you may be wondering things like, how old was Priscilla when she met Elvis? How many children did they have? How accurate was the movie to real events? We’re here to answer your burning questions.

How old was Priscilla when she met Elvis?

One of the most controversial points in the Priscilla movie, and therefore in the Presley’s relationship, was their age gap. While a 10-year age difference may not seem a big deal, it was the age at which they began their relationship that caught attention.

The movie depicts Priscilla as 14 years old when she initially meets and is courted by Elvis in 1959, who was 24 at the time. This much is accurate, and Priscilla said in an essay for People in 1985 that, “Nothing in my upbringing could have prepared me for our life. When we met, I was an impressionable 14-year-old. He was 24.”

The duo met in West Germany, where Priscilla and her family were living while her father served at a military base, and Elvis was stationed after being drafted into the U.S. Army.

How old was Priscilla when she married Elvis?

The marriage of Priscilla and Elvis is another major event in the film. In 1967, eight years after they first met, the duo tied the knot in a ceremony in Las Vegas. Priscilla was 21 years old at the time.

The duo’s marriage did not last long, however, with their divorce occurring in 1973. This came as a result of extended periods where the couple were separated, with Elvis busy performing stints in Las Vegas while Priscilla was home raising their daughter.

The two became legally separated in 1972 before Elvis filed for divorce a year later. Priscilla’s decision to leave Elvis forms the climax of the film.

How old was Priscilla when she had Lisa Marie?

Priscilla and Elvis’ child, Lisa Marie Presley, was born nine months after their wedding in 1968, when Priscilla was 22 and Elvis was 32.

Lisa Marie was the couple’s only child. However, Priscilla did have a second child, Navarone Garibaldi, in 1987 with her then-partner Marco Antonio Garcia.

How old was Priscilla when Elvis died?

While Elvis’ death is not shown in Priscilla, the singer famously died young. Elvis passed away in August 1977, just four years after the couple’s divorce. Priscilla was 32 at the time, and Lisa Marie was just 9 years old.

How old is Priscilla Presley now?

Priscilla Presley was born in 1945, which makes her 78 in 2024.

Priscilla focuses on a relatively short period in her life, that being the entirety of her relationship with Elvis, which lasted from 1959 until their separation and divorce in 1973.

Who is Priscilla Presley married to now?

Priscilla never married again after Elvis, however, she has had numerous different relationships after their divorce.

The most famous is with karate instructor Mike Stone, whom she had an affair with while still married to Elvis. Their relationship lasted only a couple of years after she and Elvis split.

Her longest relationship was with Marco Antonio Garcia (aka Marco Garibaldi), a Brazilian screenwriter and computer programmer, who she spent 22 years with and has one son with.

On her decision to never remarry, Priscilla said in a press conference in 2023, as reported by Blast: “To be honest with you, I never wanted to marry after him. I never had any desire. No one could ever match him.”

How accurate is Priscilla the movie?

For the most part, Priscilla is very true to the major life events in Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship timeline. It has also been praised for the ways it picks up many of the nuances that Priscilla describes in her biography, such as Elvis’ traditional ideals and controlling personality, Priscilla’s isolation from her family and friends and the power dynamic in their relationship.

Priscilla is in cinemas now.

Lead Image Credit: a24/Madman