Elvis Presley Never Met Queen Elizabeth, But He Once Captivated a Trio of European Princesses

A black-and-white photo of Elvis Presley wearing a military uniform kneeling in front of Princesses Margrethe of Denmark, Astrid of Norway, and Margaretha of Sweden.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 13 November 2024

Elvis Presley might have been known as "The King," but surprisingly, he never actually met The Queen. While the music legend never encountered Queen Elizabeth II, it turns out he did meet a different queen (and two other European royals) while filming the movie G.I. Blues in 1960.

The royal encounter is being revisited amid Netflix releasing its new documentary, Return of The King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley, on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Per Tatler, Presley was filming the movie musical at Paramount Studios in Hollywood when he was greeted by Queen Margrethe of Denmark (who was then known as Princess Margrethe) and her royal cousins Princess Astrid of Norway and Princess Margaretha of Sweden.

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A photo depicts the "Jailhouse Rock" singer, who had yet to marry Priscilla Presley, dressed in his G.I. Blues costume kneeling in front of the trio, who are seated before him. It made sense that Elvis looked right at home in his uniform; Fittingly, the movie was filmed just after the singer had left the actual Army.

Elvis Presley wearing an Army uniform playing a guitar in the movie G.I. Blues — Presley was filming G.I. Blues when he met the princesses.

The excitement on the princess's faces is palpable as the pearl-clad women—who were all in their twenties at the time—chatted with the rock star. Elvis, however, wasn't the only cause for their jubilant moods.

While overseas air travel is commonplace in 2024, it was a cause for celebration for the royal cousins, who, per Tatler, had departed from Copenhagen, Denmark on the inaugural Scandinavian Airlines flight to sunny Los Angeles.

Just two years later, Presley could have met a fourth cousin of Margrethe's, Queen Elizabeth. But according to the Express, there was likely a simple (but disappointing) reason to explain why the encounter never happened.

Per the outlet, the "Love Me Tender" singer had to turn down an invitation to perform in the 1962 Royal Variety Show because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker—who was an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands—wouldn't let Elvis leave the country as he couldn't travel along with his star client. And even though he didn't get to shake Queen Elizabeth's hand, at least The King got to meet The Queen's beloved royal cousin.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.