Inside The Unique Inner Circle Of Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Presley has led a fascinating life and been in the public eye longer than many of our best-known celebs have even been alive, so it stands to reason that her inner circle is eclectic. However, it seems as though her preference when it comes to close friends is for those who've been there since the start. 

Okay, so one member of Priscilla's inner circle might not come as a surprise — that'd be Elvis Presley's manager, Jerry Schilling. Sure enough, though, Schilling shared in his memoir, "Me and a Guy Named Elvis: My Lifelong Friendship with Elvis Presley," that the King of Rock 'n Roll had initially tried to prevent him from getting too familiar with Priscilla. "In the early days at Graceland our relationship was a distant one. It had to be, because Elvis didn't really want the guys to be close friends with Priscilla, especially not a younger, single guy like me. He didn't want her to be considered one of the guys — she was to be respected as the lady of the house," Schilling wrote. The manager also recounted a time he'd bumped into Priscilla while she and Elvis were having a fight and made the mistake of asking if she was alright. Priscilla had told Elvis Schilling was one of the few people who cared to ask, prompting a reprimand from the singer to his team more generally, warning them not to interfere. 

Despite the initial distance, over time Priscilla and Schilling did become close, and he even drove her and Elvis to the hospital when they welcomed their only daughter Lisa Marie Presley. And, of their bond in the decades after Elvis' passing, Schilling wrote, "Priscilla Presley is one of my dearest friends today." The friends often attend together, from the Met Gala to the premiere of the 2022 "Elvis" biopic.

Other stars in Priscilla Presley's inner orbit? Austin Butler, who played her late ex-husband in "Elvis." Some will recall that both Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley lauded Butler's intense dedication to bringing the music icon back to life for the big screen, so it probably won't come as a major shock that he became close with them in real life. Butler was especially close to Lisa Marie, who sadly passed away a few months after "Elvis" was released, and the actor issued a public statement of love and support for Priscilla and Lisa Marie's children soon after. Butler also showed his support for the family by attending Lisa Marie's funeral. 

Like we said, one of the reasons Priscilla was so enamored with Butler was because of how much attention to detail he paid to his portrayal of her late ex-husband, and speaking to Extra, she shared that she and Jerry Schilling had even spent part of the first screening trying to decipher when Elvis was singing versus the actor. "He got Elvis to a T, I mean to a T. It is unbelievable what this kid did, Austin Butler. He spent two years studying about Elvis, so that was like a shock to watch," Priscilla gushed.

Over her many years in the spotlight, Priscilla has rubbed shoulders with just about everyone in the A-list, and it's heartwarming that she struck up a friendship with Butler. That said, when it comes to her truest inner circle, we have a feeling she reserves those spots for those who've been around from day one. Elvis Presley might not have wanted her to be too close with Jerry Schilling when they were first married, but we're thrilled their friendship has gone the distance.