Despite some recent “upheaval”, Riley Keough says she and Priscilla Presley remain on good terms.
The Daisy Jones & The Six actor and her grandmother, the ex-wife of rock ’n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, became ensnared in a high-profile legal dispute after the death of Riley’s mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in January.
By June, the two women had reached a settlement, with Riley reportedly agreeing to pay her grandmother a lump sum of $1 million (£780,000), plus $400,000 (around £313,000) in legal fees, to become the sole trustee of Lisa Marie’s estate.
In a candid chat with Vanity Fair, Riley spoke at length about the situation for the first time.
“When my mum 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,” Riley told the magazine.
“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.”
“We are a family, but there’s also a huge business side of our family,” she said. “So I think that there was clarity that needed to be had.”
One of the reported points of contention in the dispute was Priscilla’s future gravesite. According to the terms of the settlement, she will now be buried at Graceland ― Elvis’ estate in Memphis, Tennessee ― per her request.
Riley suggested that any perceived conflict regarding her grandmother’s eventual resting place had been blown out of proportion.
“I don’t know why she wouldn’t be buried at Graceland,” she said. “I don’t understand what the drama in the news was about. Yeah. If she wants to be, of course. Sharing Graceland with the world was her idea from the start.”
Riley, whose Hollywood credits also include Mad Max: Fury Road and American Honey, went on to praise her grandmother for keeping her grandfather’s musical legacy alive 46 years after his death.
“There was a bit of upheaval, but now everything’s going to be how it was. She’s a beautiful woman, and she was a huge part of creating my grandfather’s legacy and Graceland,” she told Vanity Fair.
“It’s very important to her. He was the love of her life. Anything that would suggest otherwise in the press makes me sad because, at the end of the day, all she wants is to love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy. That’s her whole life.”