Theirs is a marriage based on true love, says the woman who now calls herself "Mrs. Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson," daughter of one king, now bride of another.
After marrying King of Pop Michael Jackson in apparent haste - in a quickie Dominican Republic ceremony in late May - 26-year-old Presley-Jackson said in a statement Monday, she'll "dedicate my life to being his wife."
The question both fans and foes want answered: Why?
Theories abound: Cynics see it as an extreme public relations ploy aimed at restoring Jackson's reputation, damaged by accusations of child molestation. Some speculate that he has joined Presley's faith, the Church of Scientology, and guess that the two have found common ground in religion. Others see it as an old-fashioned royal alliance, aimed at consolidating and expanding two separate kingdoms.
It is, unquestionably, a monumental merger of money and music. She's the sole heir of her father's Graceland estate, reportedly valued at $100 million and grossing another $20 million a year. She doesn't get all royalties on Elvis' songs, but, says RCA executive Paul Williams, "I would assume that Lisa Marie participates in payments from RCA to the Elvis Presley estate."
Jackson, 35, is worth a conservatively estimated $150 million and has an elaborate estate of his own called Neverland, which comes with its own amusement park. Included in his kitty: an extensive income-producing music catalog that includes classic Beatles songs and works by Little Richard and the father of the bride, Elvis Presley.
The newlyweds first met around November 1992, says Lisa Marie's friend, lawyer John P. Coale, who was advising her at the time. Was it business or pleasure? "It was more of a social meeting," he says.
The meeting took place in L.A. at a friend's house. ("Nobody famous," Coale says.) "She liked him. She thought he was real nice. In the beginning they were friends, just friends. There was no romantic hint of anything at the time. . . . I'm not sure when the romantic thing came in."
The May 26 wedding - which followed Presley's May 6 Dominican Republic divorce from musician Danny Keough - was not without romantic elements. "She wore a beige, strapless dress; he was dressed in black," said Luisa Rebeca Valentin, the reporter who broke the story for the Dominican Republic's Listin Diario and got the juicy details from the wedding officiant, Judge Hugo Francisco Alvarez Perez.
It was an understated affair. "There were no flowers. It was very simple, very sedate."
Valentin is a bit of a doubter: "You know how celebrities are, they don't marry for love. There are conveniences."
When Coale saw Presley in July, she didn't mention that she and Jackson were married but "there were strong hints," says Coale.
The usually chatty Donald Trump has also been keeping the secret. "I've known for a while," he says. "They're nice people and I wish them luck."
The couple reportedly spent a week at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach estate in February and they and Presley's children (Danielle, 5, and Benjamin, 21 months) have been living in a $110,000-a-month Trump Tower duplex (below the Donald's triplex) since early July. They're expected to stay chez Trump through September, while Jackson finishes work on an album.
Some residents have spotted the pair hugging and kissing, and Trump acknowledges that Lisa Marie and "the babies are in and out all day."
But even Trump, who has pulled a few marital surprises of his own, seems a bit amazed: "The whole thing is wild, isn't it?" he asks. As for possible future offspring: "Can you imagine what they'll produce?"
Family living is apparently on the couple's agenda: "We both look forward to raising a family," the bride said in her statement.
Jackson family spokesman John McLaughlin had no comment on Michael's status (other Jackson spokesmen spent weeks denying marriage reports).
As for the mother of the bride: Contrary to tabloid reports of maternal disapproval, "She (Priscilla Presley) said, `Please assure everyone I'm very supportive of Lisa Marie and everything she does,' " says Paul Bloch, publicist for both Presleys.
Ditto for the folks at Graceland: "All of us . . . are delighted for Lisa and Michael. We wish the best for them in the future," says Graceland spokesman David Beckwith, adding, "There will be no changes in the structure or operations of Elvis Presley Enterprises or Graceland."
The Church of Scientology International issued a congratulatory press release: "We consider marriage and a happy family the most valuable building blocks of a stable society, and we wish the newlyweds the very best for a joyful future."
Disappointing the masses, they added, "The Church has no other information as this is a private matter between Lisa-Marie and her husband."
Not all fans are as enthused: "Oh God, no! Are you serious?" blurted Terry Marcos, president of Elvis' California Fans (We're Still Shaking). Jackson's "not even a man as far as I'm concerned."
Priscilla Parker, 54, of Pittsburgh, president of the We Remember Elvis Fan Club, is disappointed. "Partly, because Lisa Marie was just in one marriage and is jumping into another, and I don't understand that, no matter if you're famous or the person next door."
Members of her fan club are phoning in reactions: "Some people are saying they'll never go back to Graceland if this is true, (others are) saying that it's her life and she can do what she wants. But it's not her life. She has two kids to consider. If she were my daughter," she says with a laugh, "I'd lock her up and throw away the key."
Some suspect Jackson of ulterior motives: "Michael's image took such a battering over the past year and a half, with him being linked to an underage boy, that what better stunt to pull off than to marry a very desirable woman?" says Mitchell Fink, People columnist and a CNN correspondent.
"I also think this makes sense for him professionally, because I'm sure he wants to buy every song he can connected with her father, because then he would control the music of the Beatles and Elvis Presley. And I believe as I have all along that he will produce her debut album. He wants to be able to say that he produced the daughter of the king. But I honestly didn't think he would take it to this new extreme!"
Fink adds,"There's no question that for many, many years, Michael has been a shrewd media manipulator."
Stuart Fischoff, a media psychologist at California State University, is paid to ponder such questions. He doesn't know what motivated the twosome but, "many women, given the opportunity to meet and marry Michael Jackson, would jump at the opportunity. She's marrying a cultural Mount Rushmore."
And what's in it for him? "The cynical point of view is that . . . this (marriage) would go in his mind a long way to dissuading people that he's been fooling around with boys."
Richard Johnson, editor of the New York Post's gossip page, thinks "you can't ignore the Scientology angle. I would think the people at Scientology would be urging her to nurture this relationship."
John Coale thinks the union may well be a Love Me Tender story. "Lisa's a pretty levelheaded woman," he says. "I've always been impressed with her decisions. . . . If everyone just gives (the marriage) a chance, I think we'll all be pleasantly surprised."
Contributing: Marco R. della Cava, Jeannie Williams, Nancy Ayala, Charlene Daniels, Anita Manning, David Landis
