Elvis Presley worked very hard in the music industry, but he played hard as well. During his time off he would spend every waking moment wooing and dating various actresses and singers throughout Hollywood.

It wasn’t until he was drafted into the US Military in 1957 that he found a woman he would risk it all for.

Elvis was sent to Friedberg, Germany, where he was stationed for a few years at a barracks when he met Priscilla Presley (Beaulieu, at the time).

Memphis Mafia member Sonny West wrote in his book, Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business, that the King was a sucker for his personal addictions. “Everything he ever wanted was his for the taking,” Sonny said. “Houses, cars, women, friends, luxury items. Self-indulgence became his outlet and, over time, his greatest enemy.”

Sonny claimed it was this weakness for self-indulgence that left Elvis thinking he wanted to get married and start a family with Priscilla once he returned to the USA. He recalled: “I think that’s exactly why he allowed a young lady named Priscilla Ann Beaulieu to reenter his life, and he started entertaining the idea of ‘settling down.'”

And the idea of settling down troubled Elvis’ manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Tom Parker had previously urged Elvis to break up with his long-term girlfriend, Anita Wood, just before he became a worldwide phenomenon. He felt that Elvis was easier to sell as an artist if he was single and available for the thousands of screaming girls at his concerts. So when Elvis revealed he was infatuated with a young woman, Tom Parker panicked.

Sonny wrote: “[Priscilla’s] natural beauty was undeniable. Her age, however, was a whole different matter – especially in the eyes of the law.” And Colonel Tom was even more gobsmacked when he learned Elvis wanted to bring the 16-year-old to the USA from Germany – without her parents.

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Even though Elvis was known for being a womaniser, Sonny was adamant that he did truly want to be with Priscilla and Priscilla alone. But he did think their relationship came with some unsaid doubts.

“I’ve never had a single doubt that Elvis Presley loved Priscilla Beaulieu,” he wrote in his memoir. “But to this day, I still have my doubts that he wanted to marry her after they were together for several years.” Sonny added: “The world was one big tasty smorgasbord of opportunities for Elvis, and he wanted to sample it all. He never wanted to settle down in the prime of his career, if ever.”

And it wasn’t until Ann-Margret arrived in Elvis’ life that he was forced to settle down.