Godmother profile: Priscilla Presley

Back in March 2012, the Great American Steamboat Company made an announcement. With the imminent arrival of their renovated 436-passenger American Queen, their paddle ship’s headline-grabbing Godmother was declared to a waiting world.

The incoming godmother certainly drew attention as a big name, and that was before showcasing her recently-stuffed beaver.

However, media reports collectively got something wrong.

Outlets referred to American Queen’s new patroness as the "ex-Mrs Elvis Presley."Yet the cultural icon was – and remains – so much more than that.

Meet Priscilla Presley (née Beaulieu), an esteemed actress, kick-ass business woman, compassionate activist and all-round American legend. Sure, she married Elvis Presley to incredible fanfare, but Priscilla hasn’t let that define her historical footprint.

Delve into the hefty world of Americana and global culture, and you’ll find that the "ex-Mrs Elvis Presley" has influenced not just music and mainstream business – but also cinema, television, print media and animal rights legislation.

Nobody in their right mind could possibly boil down Priscilla’s achievements to a solitary claim. She’s ultimately respected across too many industries to pinpoint one particular victory, but if you had to, perhaps the most astounding achievement remains her survival.

Priscilla has been through more than most and yet, while other attention-seeking household personalities would have crumbled and sold-out, the native New Yorker has steadied the ship to create a business empire; without losing sight of life’s important aspects.

Nothing short of revolutionary, and largely beyond our realms as an outright inspiration, millions of people know – and respect – the name of Priscilla Presley. It was a wonder cruise firms took that long to utilise her astounding mantra.

Priscilla: The definition of emotional resilience

Stemming from a bloodline boasting Norwegian, Scottish, Irish and English descent, Priscilla Ann Wagner was born in Brooklyn on May 24, 1945. Fate had a rocky road paved ahead.

Her biological father – US Navy Pilot James Frederick Wagner – perished during a plane crash when returning home on leave from military service. Priscilla was only six months old. Her mother, Ann, suddenly became a widow aged 19.

With Priscilla still in infancy, Ann later married United States Air Force officer Paul Beaulieu, of whom became the only father Priscilla ever knew. Raising her as his own, Paul gave her his surname of ‘Beaulieu’.

In her autobiography, Elvis and Me, Priscilla explained that she uncovered the truth while rummaging through an old box of family keepsakes. Her mother wished for the ‘secret’ to stay within the family, due to fear of losing the strong family bond they had developed.

That bond was hugely important, as Paul’s continued service in the Air Force found the Beaulieu clan frequently relocating across North America. It was then during Paul’s scheduled military stint in Germany that Priscilla’s life would change so dramatically.

While fighting with adolescent insecurities, Elvis Presley strolled through the mist of teenage angst to bring a sense of calm, fun and excitement to proceedings. Stationed in Germany to fulfil his military obligation, Elvis resided within Bad Nauheim, and while hosting a party in his rented apartment met Priscilla – whose presence reduced Elvis to an “awkward, embarrassed” boy-next-door.

Although Priscilla’s parents were agitated by proceedings – and demanded that she never see Elvis again – tensions quickly eased. Presley’s eagerness for their daughter's company led to a compromise with the Beaulieu clan, and the pair were frequently together until Elvis returned to America.

Having socialised with the King of Rock’n’Roll and spent time listening to music together, Priscilla assumed that she would never see Elvis again. Then the media began to descend. Letters from Elvis fans arrived by the truckload, packed with criticism and jealous ramblings, while dozens of publications demanded far-reaching interviews.

Lesser mortals would have floundered, yet, aged only 15, Priscilla look the learning curve and flourished. She kept in regular contact with Elvis, until he asked for her hand in marriage.

Priscilla: Saving Elvis

Following a media blitz that force-fed a “will they, won’t they” scenario, the couple married on May 1, 1967, at the now-demolished Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas. It wasn’t long before Priscilla fell pregnant with their only child, Lisa-Marie; born February 1, 1968, exactly nine months later.

Still grappling with the perturbation of youth, Mr and Mrs Presley endured tough times as a married couple. Affairs occurred on both sides, and despite genuine happiness during the first few years, constant touring to facilitate the re-establishment of Elvis’ career led into a downward spiral.

While she remained home to care for Lisa-Marie, Elvis inhabited a Las Vegas pad, during which time numerous women enjoyed ‘relations’ with the King. It wasn’t long before the marriage collapsed and Priscilla found love elsewhere. Filing for legal separation on July 26, the pair subsequently divorced on January 8, 1973.

Whereas money-orientated individuals would have taken a settlement and ran, that’s not the story here. Although such an emotional rollercoaster would destroy most people, Priscilla later returned to the Presley estate to ensure Elvis’ legacy remained secure – but not before she’d exercised success elsewhere.

To challenge herself following the well-documented separation, Priscilla set up her own clothing boutique (Bis & Beau) within the beating heart of Los Angeles. Ever supportive of her ventures, Elvis used his connections in public relations to aid the boutique’s launch. The venture ceased trading in 1976, having clothed the likes of Diana Ross, Liza Minnelli, Lana Turner and Barbara Streisand.

Then, once again, her world turned upside down. Aged 42 years old, having suffered cardiac arrhythmia, Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977. Although divorced, the pair had remained close, and Elvis’ death hit hard. The world stopped in its tracks, but Priscilla didn’t have that luxury.

Slogging through the tirade of media attention and protecting her daughter with fierce resilience, Priscilla also had the Presley estate to tackle. Even though Elvis’ father – Vernon Presley – became the executor of his son’s estate, that role suddenly became her problem following Vernon’s passing in 1979.

And, as it turned out, the estate was bankrupt. Yet again, a situation geared to destroy any feeble persona was turned around by Priscilla’s apt intelligence and determination.

Rescuing Graceland

Elvis may have been a juggernaut in terms of income, but the Presley estate had been poorly managed. Graceland – the family home – cost $500,000 a year in upkeep, and swirling expenses had dramatically reduced financial security.

An eye-watering amount of tax was overdue on the property, various outlays pushed towards the $1 million mark, and the inevitable onslaught of fictitious claims from mothers bearing ‘illegitimate children by Elvis’ demanded barrow-loads of cash.

Faced with having to sell Graceland, she took matters into her own hands – hiring a CEO by the name of Jack Soden to transform Graceland into a tourist attraction. During a time where interest in Elvis was supposedly waning, sceptics claimed that the move would never work. To some, Priscilla was viewed as irrelevant, ‘riding the coat tails’ of her deceased ex-husband.

Swinging open Graceland’s gates to the public on June 7, 1982, those sceptics were promptly silenced. Whereas certain business ventures take years or decades to recoup investment, the Presley estate made back all expenditure in only four weeks.

EPE, Elvis Presley Enterprises, was now a firm success, and with Priscilla acting as chairperson and president until Lisa-Marie turned 21, the family estate was in good hands. It wasn’t long before her efforts created a fortune; more than US$100 million.

Success beyond Graceland

Of course, Priscilla’s triumphs were not confined solely to Graceland’s borders. As Elvis Presley Enterprises churned a turnover that shamed living artists (it was proven that Elvis now made more money that the likes of Prince or Tina Turner, despite being deceased), Priscilla then launched her own line of fragrances before a slightly bizarre gig as the face of a fashionable range of bed linens.

Bed linen. Wow. However, before the facetious droll of judgement begins, that linen campaign was lucky to have her. After all, Priscilla was a bona fide film star.

Everyone pursued her talents, including EoN Productions – who offered her the role of Stacey Sutton in Roger Moore’s final 007 adventure, A View to a Kill.

Priscilla had previously shown keen interest in dancing and modelling, yet avoided taking the plunge while married to Elvis. Producers who financed a large proportion of Elvis-fronted movies displayed feverish interest in signing Priscilla to a contract, but she pursued neither fashion nor acting – partly to raise her daughter, but also to comply with her husband’s wishes to forgo her own career.

With EPE on the up, she turned to Hollywood in search of roles. Any insecurities about demand quickly evaporated, with agents and producers falling over themselves to present high-profile gigs.

Originally offered a role as one of Charlie’s Angels (although turning the opportunity down due to a dislike of the show’s premise), Priscilla soon graced screens through an episode of The Fall Guy, before landing a lucrative stint as Jenna Wade in über-popular TV melodrama Dallas.

It was during this time that the 007 franchise came a-knockin’, but due to scheduling conflicts had to decline. Bond fans across the globe wept at such a loss, and arguably still do.

However, a different box office leviathan was on the horizon, and 1988 propelled Priscilla straight to the top starring opposite Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Praised for her comic timing, she would star in the next two instalments before making guest appearances on Americana’s most popular television shows – including Spin City, Touched by an Angel and Tales from the Crypt.

Her natural ability with business resulted in an invitation to the board of directors at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, reigning over Hollywood with her soft yet authoritative tone. And yet, with all that success in the face of adversity and tragedy, the media continued to use the moniker "ex-Mrs Elvis Presley." For shame.

The perfect godmother: A dignified beacon of strength

Fate has been cruel following her announcement as American Queen’s godmother. Since 2012, Priscilla has lost her grandson, Benjamin Keough, and her mother, before Lisa-Maria then passed away in 2023 following complications from surgery.

Elvis Presley Enterprises has also gone through tough times, having been financially abused by bigwigs hired to grow and maintain the venture. As it currently stands, lawyers are circling and the legal outcome is yet to be determined, but whatever happens, we know Priscilla has the persona and allegiance to help the business survive.

Throughout all of the associated media muck slinging, Priscilla has kept her trademark regal stance. A sentiment that had been recognised for decades, making her the ideal choice for the Great American Steamboat Company.

“Priscilla Presley’s efforts leading Elvis Presley Enterprises exemplify both grace and dignity, two adjectives befitting the American Queen,” explained the company's CEO, Jeff Krida, at the time.

“Both are stunning ambassadors to Memphis and we are humbled to bring our steamboat family and the Presley family together.”

After a sunset christening, American Queen departed on her inaugural voyage up the Mississippi River, docking in Kentucky’s Henderson and Louisville, moving on to Madison in Indiana, before arriving in her disembarkation city of Cincinnati.

About American Queen

The history of American Queen is muddier than the great banks of the Mississippi. Certain media releases of 2012 make the paddle steamer – said to be the largest river steamboat ever built – out as a freshly crafted vessel. That’s not the case.

The magnificent cruiser was built in 1995 as a six-deck recreation of an archetypal Mississippi riverboat.

Originally built by McDermott Shipyard for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company, the ship offered a combo of olde-worlde propulsion and modern technology – her paddlewheel powered by a steam engine, with diesel-electric propellers (known as Z-drives) to help with manoeuvrability.

Consisting of 222 state rooms with a full-capacity of 436 guests and 160 crew, the American Queen was retired to a reserve fleet in November 2008. The collapse of her then-owner (Majestic America Line, amid debts of US$30 million, left her in the hands of MARAD (United States Maritime Administration), then passing between different companies until the Great American Steamboat Company materialised – rechristening the ship with help from Priscilla Presley.

From what we understand, the company name subsequently changed to The American Queen Steamboat Company, but that corporate legality hasn’t stopped the ship’s progression as a tourist attraction.

In 2018, American Queen was featured in an episode of Cruising with Jane McDonald, following Jane on a decadent river cruise from New Orleans to Memphis; the celebrated home of Elvis and Priscilla.