Priscilla Presley opens up on age gap with Elvis - 'he respected the fact I was only 14 years old'

Priscilla Presley appeared at the Venice Film Festival for Sofia Coppola's film Priscilla. She opened up about the age gap with her former husband, the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

Per People, Priscilla revealed that many people are misguided and think that they began having sex when she was just fourteen - something she disputed. "People think, 'Oh, it was sex.' No, it wasn’t. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in line in thought, and that was our relationship."

According to Priscilla Presley's relationship timeline with Elvis, they met in Germany when she was 14 and he was 24. Despite their ten-year age gap the pair began courting for six weeks before he left for the US. 

Speaking about the early days of their relationship, Priscilla revealed that they connected through conversation and opening up to one another when they were in Germany. "It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why. And I really do think because I was more of a listener. Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother - which he never, ever got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection," she said.

She added that her maturity at such a young age was also an 'attraction'. She said, "Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life - not in numbers. That was the attraction."

She also spoke about the secrecy in their relationship, "I didn’t know why he put so much trust in me, but he did. And I never, ever, ever told anyone that I was seeing him, and that was another issue that he loved, is the fact that I never gave him up in any way. I never told anyone at school that I was seeing him. So, we built a relationship and then our relationship went on until I left." 

Priscilla reflected on their separation and explained that their divorce had nothing to do with the love they had for one another."It wasn’t because I didn’t love him - he was the love of my life," she said. "It was the lifestyle that was so difficult for me, and I think any woman can relate to that."

She added that their shared priority was their daughter, Lisa Marie, when they separated. "But it didn’t mar our relationship, we still remained very close. And of course, we had our daughter and I made sure that he saw her all the time. It was like we never left each other," she said.

Speaking about the movie Priscilla, which is set to be released in October 2023, she said, "It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love," she said. "Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times and I really put everything out for her that I could."