On May 1, 1967, Priscilla Beaulieu married Elvis Presley at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, stepping into a dazzling world of fame alongside the King of Rock ’n’ Roll.

Yet behind the glitter and grandeur, life with Elvis was anything but ordinary—especially when it came to his nocturnal habits.

Elvis’s nighttime routine was legendary. He’d sleep through the daylight hours, only to emerge after Johnny Carson’s late-night monologue for outings with his close-knit entourage, the “Memphis Mafia.” “We would leave right after the Johnny Carson monologue and head to the theatre,” Priscilla recalled. “Sometimes we wouldn’t get home until three, four or five in the morning. I was still going to school, so I’d try to sleep, then wake up at 7:30—and, of course, my grades suffered.”

But Elvis’s night didn’t end there. Once home at Graceland, he indulged in another passion: reading. Devouring books on religion and spirituality, Elvis would underline passages, scribble notes, and often read aloud to Priscilla—even when she was exhausted. “He’d be so enthusiastic,” she told The Guardian, “and I’d be so exhausted. He’d stop and say, ‘You aren’t listening to me!’ and I’d have to force my eyes open.”

This midnight ritual came with an unexpected hazard: towering piles of heavy books stacked dangerously around their massive bed. Concerned Elvis might trip or injure himself in the dark, Priscilla enlisted a local cabinet maker to redesign the bed frame. The craftsman added custom pull-out shelves beneath the bed, turning the underside into a hidden library and clearing the clutter from the floor. This clever innovation protected Elvis from the risks posed by his restless, bookish nights.

Though decades have passed, remnants of those stacks remain in Graceland’s second-floor bedroom—a silent testament to Elvis’s restless mind and Priscilla’s practical foresight.

Their marriage, lasting six turbulent years, weathered the intense scrutiny of fame and tabloid rumors, which sometimes suggested their wedding was staged or that Priscilla was pregnant to bind Elvis. Through it all, Elvis advised her to ignore the gossip: “Don’t even look at the tabloids. You know the truth, so just be cautious but aware.”

Despite their 1973 divorce, Elvis and Priscilla’s bond endured. They remained close friends, speaking late into the night—even during the final days before Elvis’s untimely death from a heart attack at age 42 in 1977.

Today, visitors to Graceland can glimpse the bedroom where Elvis’s midnight reading sessions unfolded—a space where restless curiosity met loving care, and where a simple redesign ensured the King’s safety during those long, sleepless nights.