Priscilla Presley thinks granddaughter Riley Keough is up for the task of managing Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate.
“I think Riley will be great,” Priscilla said in an interview for TalkTV’s Piers Morgan Uncensored, which aired on Thursday, November 2. “She has asked me a few things about what to do and we’ll talk about, like, I want to help her with Graceland. I mean, she has her own career as well and [is] doing so well.”
Keough, 34, was named the sole trustee of late mother Lisa Marie Presley’s estate — which includes the iconic home of the King of Rock and Roll — after her unexpected death in January at age 54. (It was revealed in July that Lisa Marie died from the effects of a small bowel obstruction that developed after gastric bypass surgery.)
After Lisa Marie’s death, Priscilla contested her daughter’s will and claimed that a 2016 amendment replacing her as the trustee was forged. Priscilla further alleged that she was never informed of the change that put Riley and her late brother, Benjamin Keough, in charge of the estate. (Benjamin died by suicide in 2020 at age 27.)
Priscilla and Riley agreed to settle their legal dispute in May, with Priscilla receiving a one-time sum of $1 million. Lisa Marie’s 15-year-old twin daughters, Finley and Harper, were also named sub-trustees.
While Priscilla and her granddaughter were seemingly at odds over their family’s legacy, Priscilla explained that she and Riley had “always been close” and “gotten along” while trying to figure out Lisa Marie’s will.
“She’s got a great head on her shoulders,” Priscilla said on Thursday. “We’ve had many talks. I trust her, I believe she’s capable of taking on some, especially some things at Graceland, when we have to be there in person and together — or just her.”
Riley, for her part, shared similar sentiments about how difficult it was to navigate her family’s situation.
“When my mom passed, there was a lot of chaos in every aspect of our lives. Everything felt like the carpet had been ripped out and the floor had melted from under us,” she told Vanity Fair in an interview published in August. “Everyone was in a bit of a panic to understand how we move forward, and it just took a minute to understand the details of the situation, because it’s complicated.”
The Daisy Jones & The Six star noted that there is “a huge business side” when it comes to the Presley legacy and she understood why Priscilla cared so much.
“At the end of the day, all she wants is to love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy,” Riley said of her grandmother. “That’s her whole life. So it’s a big responsibility she has tried to take on. None of that stuff has really ever been a part of our relationship prior. She’s just been my grandma. … Sharing Graceland with the world was her idea from the start.”
