Introduction:
Long before Priscilla Presley became Elvis Presley’s wife, there was one woman whose presence reportedly made her question everything she believed about their future together. That woman was Ann-Margret — the dazzling actress and singer whose chemistry with Elvis during Viva Las Vegas became almost impossible to ignore.
When Elvis began filming the 1964 musical, Priscilla was already uneasy. Ann-Margret was beautiful, charismatic, talented, and increasingly described as a kind of “female Elvis.” She could sing, dance, command a room, and seemingly match the King’s explosive energy in a way few women could. For Priscilla, watching that connection become a national fascination was deeply painful.
In her memoir Elvis and Me, Priscilla described the jealousy and uncertainty she experienced during this period. She had spent years waiting for Elvis and imagining a future with him, only to see headlines suggesting that his relationship with Ann-Margret had become much more than an on-screen romance.
The tension eventually exploded.
Priscilla recalled becoming so furious over the rumors and headlines that she threw a vase across the room, shattering it. What hurt was not simply another woman entering Elvis’s life. Ann-Margret appeared to represent something far more threatening: a woman who could understand Elvis’s world because she possessed some of the same qualities that made him extraordinary.
Elvis eventually assured Priscilla that the relationship was finished. According to her account, she later discovered a telegram from Ann-Margret after Elvis had stopped returning her calls. Rather than keeping it, Priscilla tore the message apart and flushed the pieces down the toilet — a small but revealing moment that showed just how emotionally charged the situation had become.
Yet the story did not end there.
Ann-Margret later acknowledged in her own memoir that she and Elvis shared a powerful connection, but also understood that their relationship could not continue indefinitely. Elvis had an existing commitment to Priscilla, and eventually the romance ended. Elvis and Priscilla married in Las Vegas in 1967, while Ann-Margret married actor Roger Smith shortly afterward.
But Elvis and Ann-Margret never completely disappeared from each other’s lives.
Their romantic relationship gave way to an enduring friendship and mutual affection. Elvis famously sent Ann-Margret elaborate floral arrangements when she opened shows, and she remained deeply respectful of him long after their romance had ended.
For Priscilla, however, Ann-Margret had become an unforgettable chapter in a much larger struggle. Elvis’s relationships with other women, combined with the pressures and complications inside their marriage, eventually contributed to a life Priscilla could no longer accept. The couple divorced in 1973.
Decades later, the question still fascinates Elvis fans: if the chemistry between Elvis and Ann-Margret was truly that powerful, why did he ultimately choose Priscilla?
Perhaps that unanswered question is exactly why this