Priscilla Presley has been on the promotional trail for her new memoir Softly, As I Leave You, and, unsurprisingly, she has once again turned her attention to Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley’s marriage. For Michael Jackson fans, there is nothing new here. We’ve heard Priscilla spin these stories for decades, shaping a narrative about why Michael married Lisa that often contradicts not only Lisa Marie’s own words but also the recollections shared in Riley Keough’s memoir From Here to the Great Unknown.
What’s most frustrating is that these recycled “insights” continue to be presented as definitive truths, when in reality they clash with the first-hand experiences of those actually in the marriage. To hear Priscilla suggest she somehow knows Michael’s inner motives better than Lisa or Riley is not only questionable, but insulting.
The London Signing: A Theatre of Insensitivity
On Sunday 28th September 2025 at 3pm, Priscilla signed copies of her book at none other than the Prince Edward Theatre, currently the home of MJ The Musical. To many fans, this move felt like a deliberate slight. How vain and frankly careless, for Priscilla and her publicist to choose a venue that actively celebrates the very man she continues to disparage.
It is hard not to see the choice of location as a publicity stunt, designed to create friction and headlines. But beyond the poor taste, it raises a serious question: how did the Prince Edward Theatre, the producers of MJ The Musical, and even the Michael Jackson Estate allow this to happen?
This is where fans’ frustration sharpens into anger. These institutions, whose reputations and profits are tied to Michael’s legacy, should be safeguarding his image, not enabling those who undermine it. The theatre’s management had to approve the booking, the producers of MJ The Musical had to be aware of the optics, and the Estate, which has a vested interest in protecting Michael’s name, surely had the power to object. Their silence or complicity speaks volumes. Was it ignorance? Was it apathy? Or was it simply the lure of revenue over respect? Whatever the reason, it is a betrayal of the very man whose artistry they are profiting from night after night.
Probably some of it comes down to oversight, the Prince Edward Theatre may not have read the book in advance. However, Priscilla Presley’s history of misrepresenting Michael and Lisa Marie’s relationship is well known to fans, the Presley family, and the Michael Jackson Estate. Venue hire contracts typically include clauses to protect the integrity of the venue and its productions, here MJ The Musical included, which could have been used to prevent this. Ultimately, the Estate is the guardian of Michael’s legacy, and they should have stepped in to ensure it was respected.
Respect Matters
Michael Jackson fans are used to defending him against misinformation and opportunism. Still, the optics of Priscilla Presley promoting a book that belittles his marriage to Lisa Marie, inside a theatre dedicated to his artistry, feels like a new low. Whether careless oversight or calculated stunt, it shows a profound lack of respect.
Priscilla has every right to tell her story. But when her words directly contradict Lisa Marie’s and Riley Keough’s own accounts, and when she chooses to promote those words in a space built to honour Michael’s legacy, fans have every right to call it what it is: hypocrisy, vanity, and exploitation.
Michael and Lisa Marie’s marriage has long been picked apart by outsiders. The difference is, fans know to trust the voices of those who lived it, not those who continue to profit from retelling it.
Sebastian for MJVibe
