Riley Keough, Priscilla Presley ‘not speaking’ in Lisa Marie will battle

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By means of Sarah Nathan

February 25, 2023 | 10:18 am

Riley Keough looked stunning as she hit the red carpet Thursday night for the Los Angeles premiere of her highly anticipated new show, “Daisy Jones & the Six.”

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s hit novel are eagerly awaiting the onscreen version starring Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, debuting March 3 on Amazon Prime.

At another time, Keough, 33, would be on a huge promotional tour, but she’s still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, just six weeks ago aged 54 from cardiac arrest. The actress was so overwhelmed at her mother’s funeral that her husband Ben Smith-Petersen read her eulogy announcing the surprise arrival of their baby girl, Tupelo.

Her appearance at the Feb. 16 premiere of “Daisy” in London was scrapped and other press outings have been carefully curated, with reporters telling reporters that Keough won’t be answering questions about her mother — or grandmother, Priscilla Presley.

In a shocking move, days after Lisa Marie’s death, Priscilla filed a petition in LA questioning the “authenticity and validity” of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s trust and estate. That amendment named Keough as controller of the trust, which includes Graceland, the Memphis tourist mansion of Lisa Marie’s father, Elvis Presley, and 15% ownership of the legendary late singer’s estate.

Amid a report that Keough and her grandmother are now at odds, an old friend of Lisa Marie confirmed to Page Six: “Riley and Priscilla are not talking. Their relationship is changing, that’s true… it’s just so sad. This is when Riley would really need her grandmother.”

Though the two were once close, the friend said, “Riley sees a new side to her grandmother.”

A Graceland source said Keough doesn’t want it to be.

“Riley is not out for war. She always had a good relationship with her grandmother,” said a source from Graceland. “Lisa had her issues with her mother, but… she didn’t drag (her kids) into (their) personal issues.”

Keough has a large legal team behind her, Page Six is ​​told, but a legal expert said the actress won’t have to file anything in retaliation for Priscilla’s filing until a few days before the LA court hearing on April 13.

Representatives for Keough and Priscilla could not be reached for comment.

Any legal maneuvers would no doubt have taken the spotlight off of “Daisy,” which stars Keough as the Stevie Nicks-esque lead singer of a fictional 1970s band, alongside Briton Sam Claflin.

Speak against Entertainment tonightKeough did not speak of her mother or grandmother, though she admitted that she tapped into her family’s musical heritage during months of band rehearsals, saying, “I don’t know if my grandfather’s legacy will carry on…experience for me…

“I’ve been listening to music and my whole family is musicians, and I’ve been around this world a lot and on tour and all that stuff,” she added. “But I had never really done it myself. So for me it was more about my personal relationship with playing music, which was nice.

This week she posted photos of her interview looks on social media; in one, you see the tattoo of her late brother Benjamin’s name. Lisa Marie had actually listed him along with Keough as co-successors, before the 27-year-old committed suicide in July 2020.

Representatives for Lisa Marie have confirmed that Elvis’ estate is now owned by her three daughters, including 14-year-old twins Finley and Harper, whose father is Lisa Marie’s fourth husband, Michael Lockwood.

Elvis fans have bombarded her Instagram account, begging her to “take care of Graceland.”

One even wrote: “Don’t let your grandma win. Follow your mother’s wishes,” while another commented, “You are the rightful owner of Graceland. Riley never stops fighting for what’s yours. Your mother and grandfather would like you to have Graceland.”

Lisa Marie had previously appointed Priscilla, 77, and former business manager Barry Siegel as co-trustees in 2010, but the 2016 change put the trust in the hands of her children.

“Essentially there shouldn’t be a fight within the family over a trust that was always meant to go to Riley and Benjamin,” the Graceland source said. “Lisa was meant to outlive her mother.”

As friends told Page Six, Lisa Marie would be “pissed off”. by the situation. Joel Weinshanker, a managing partner at Elvis Presley Enterprises, told SiriusXM’s Elvis Radio that Lisa Marie was “very, very sure” that her legacy should be left to her children, adding, “(It) was always Riley and Ben.

“There was never a doubt in her mind that they would be the stewards, that they would look at it just like them… Although Riley is a movie star (and) an award-winning director, she had always been interested and had always known that one day she would be in charge of (things).

The Graceland source told Page Six: “Why does Priscilla think she is best suited to lead things? Why does she think she should take over?”

Priscilla, meanwhile, has made it clear she thinks she should, saying, “Please ignore ‘the noise.’ Because I have always been there for Elvis’ legacy, our family and the fans, I will continue to blaze a path forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and love.”

Keough spent much of 2022 in the company of her mother and grandmother as they promoted the film “Elvis” alongside actor Austin Butler, who plays the King, and director Baz Luhrmann.

Lisa Marie’s last major public appearance was at the Golden Globes, just four days before her death, with Priscilla. But, as Page Six previously reported, they didn’t even want to sit together because their relationship was so fraught.

However, with Butler a favorite to win the Best Actor Oscar on March 12 after winning the Golden Globe and BAFTA, Priscilla will appear at the awards ceremony. “Lisa was really looking forward to the Oscars,” said the friend. Indeed, Lisa Marie posted online last May: “If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I’ll eat my foot, haha.”

But whether Keough will be there too, the Graceland source said, “It’s unlikely.”