Priscilla Presley criticized Michael Jackson’s intentions in marrying Lisa Marie Presley and claimed Elvis would have been relieved by their divorce.
Priscilla Presley didn’t hold back when recalling her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s brief and controversial marriage to Michael Jackson, calling the union a calculated move by the pop superstar to align himself with the Presley name.
In an excerpt from her forthcoming memoir, Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, published by The Sun, Priscilla Presley revealed her deep reservations about the 1994 wedding between Lisa Marie and Jackson, which ended in divorce just two years later.
“I was appalled by the marriage,” she wrote. “I knew in my bones that Michael wasn’t marrying Lisa Marie; he was marrying the Presley dynasty.”
Priscilla, who was married to Elvis Presley from 1967 to 1973, also questioned the motivations behind Jackson’s interest in her daughter, especially given the timing.
She suggested the King of Pop was seeking to repair his image amid serious allegations.
“Michael was a manipulative man, and I think he had his sights set on her long before she realized it,” she wrote. “The childlike innocence he projected was part of his public mask.”
According to the memoir, Priscilla confronted her daughter about the nature of her relationship with Michael Jackson.
“I asked her if they had a physical relationship,” she wrote. “Like so many people, I wasn’t sure. She said Yeah.”
The “Billie Jean” singer reportedly kept his distance from Priscilla and the rest of the Presley family, often choosing to socialize with children instead of adults during family gatherings.
“When Lisa Marie filed for divorce in 1996,” Priscilla added, “I could practically hear Elvis sigh with relief.”
Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis is set for release later this year.