Things are not well in the house that the King built. In the wake of Lisa Marie Presley‘s passing on Jan. 12, her daughter, Riley Keough, was named a co-trustee of Lisa Marie’s trust, while Graceland – the Memphis, Tennessee, estate that belonged to her father, Elvis Presley – went to Riley, 33, and Lisa Marie’s 14-year-old twins, Harper and Finley. Lisa Marie’s mother, Pricilla Presley, is contesting this in court, causing a rift between the King’s kin. “It has been a very tense and heartbreaking few weeks for both Riley and Priscilla,” reports Entertainment Tonight. “Riley has been mourning the loss of her mother and is heartbroken to have to deal with a trust dispute with a family member.”
Priscilla, 77, is “adamant that she has a valid case and that she will prevail in court,” reports ET. Lisa Marie legally named her mother and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees in 2010. Priscilla reportedly found a document after Lisa Marie’s death that amended the trust and named her daughter, Riley, and her son – Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020 – as trustees, removing Pricilla from the equation. The King’s former wife is challenging this, and this clash has caused Pricilla and Riley to stop talking to each other. “Riley and Priscilla aren’t communicating at this time but have been in communication through lawyers,” ET reports.
Both sides are “gearing up for court,” per the report, though Riley would “prefer to settle this dispute privately.” ET reports that the actress is “heartbroken that this has turned into a public matter and knows her mother would never want this.”
Riley is “very stressed at the moment and has been trying to keep a positive attitude and outlook ahead of her new series [Daisy Jones & The Six] coming out.” ET also claims that Pricilla feels she “is right in her heart” with this move to retain control over the trust and that she is “convinced that the [2016] documents have been forged.”
Pricilla released a statement on Feb. 3 following the reports that she’s challenging Riley for the trust. “I loved Elvis very much as he loved me. Lisa is a result of our love,” she wrote. “For anyone to think anything differently would be a travesty of the family legacy and would be disrespectful of what Elvis left behind in his life. Please allow us the time we need to work together and sort this out. Please ignore ‘the noise.’ As I have always been there for Elvis’ legacy, our family, and the fans, I will continue to forge a pathway forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity, and love.”