The real reason Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley.

On May 26, 1994, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley in a secret wedding in the Dominican Republic.

It was a match made in music heaven – Michael Jackson, 'The King of Pop' and Elvis Presley’s only daughter, 'The Princess of Rock 'n Roll'.

When Jackson kissed Presley on stage at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards and confirmed their romance, their union was dubbed "The Marriage of the Century".

"I am very much in love with Michael, I dedicate my life to being his wife," Presley said in a statement confirming their marriage.

"I understand and support him. We both look forward to raising a family and living happy, healthy lives together. We hope friends and fans will understand and respect our privacy."

However, it seems Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley, had some serious reservations about the union from the start.

In her upcoming memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, Priscilla said that she was "appalled by the marriage" and suspicious of Jackson's true motives.

"I knew in my bones that Michael wasn't marrying Lisa Marie; he was marrying the Presley dynasty," Priscilla writes, according to excerpts published by The Sun.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley kiss on stage at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. Image: Getty.

The 80-year-old claims Jackson was seeking "good publicity" following child molestation allegations at the time, which he strongly denied.

She describes Jackson as "a manipulative man" who had "his sights set on her long before she realised it".

"The childlike innocence he projected was part of his public mask," Priscilla writes in the memoir.

This is not the first time questions have been raised about the dynamic of Jackson and Presley's relationship.

In a previous interview with The Sun, Jackson's former maid, Adrian McManus, claimed that Jackson 'faked' sex with Lisa Marie Presley during their marriage, as he often scattered women's underwear in his room.

"When they were dating I walked into his bedroom and his comforter smelled of women's fragrance," McManus claimed.

"This was not normal. When I began cleaning I saw a white sexy lacy little bra abandoned under the bed," she added.

"There was two broken glasses next to it. I had to clean them up and felt it was Michael playing games with me.

"It all seemed so set up because that had never happened before. Sure, there were his underpants, shirts and trousers discarded, but nothing belonging to women ever were there.

"I thought that he was trying to make me think that something was going on between him and her. I knew they were dating, but he was trying to make me believe they were sexually close. I always had my doubts."

McManus also claimed that Presley never stayed overnight in Jackson's private bedroom.

"Never once did I walk into Michael’s bedroom and see them in bed or hanging out," she said.

The Quicky, Mamamia’s daily news podcast, discusses Leaving Neverland. Post continues after audio.

Speaking in the documentary Leaving Neverland, one of Jackson's accusers, James Safechuck, alleged that Jackson married Presley so that the public wouldn't get suspicious about his close friendships with young children.

"I remember Michael saying he was going to have to have these public relationships with women so people wouldn't think anything," James said in the documentary.

"He would always say he was going to get married. He said, 'One day, I am going to go get married but it wasn't going to mean anything.'"

Jackson and Presley's wedding came just one year after Jordan Chandler accused Jackson of child abuse in the first public allegations against the singer.

Chandler's father, Evan Chandler, reportedly became suspicious of Jackson after the performer stayed in a hotel room with his 12-year-old son.

The investigation failed to produce enough evidence to file criminal charges against Jackson, but the 'Thriller' singer settled with the Chandler family out of court for US$23 million.

While Presley never commented on the allegations aired in Leaving Neverland, she was one of Jackson's strongest supporters as he navigated Chandler's allegations.

Watch the trailer for documentary Leaving Neverland here. Post continues below...

In J. Randy Taraborrelli's book about Jackson, The Magic And The Madness, Presley claimed that she believed he was wrongly accused.

"I believed he didn't do anything wrong, and that he was wrongly accused and, yes, I started falling for him. I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it," she said.

It's believed Presley encouraged Jackson to check into rehab after the very public court case as the stress reportedly led him to begin self-medicating.

Unlike other aspects of Jackson's predominately private life, Jackson and Presley's two-year marriage was highly publicised.

From their kiss on stage at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards to their naked appearance in Jackson's music video for his song 'You Are Not Alone', the pair seemingly paraded their marriage.

Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson's marriage lasted just two years. Image: Getty.

In 1995, the couple even sat down for a televised interview with Diane Sawyer, in which Sawyer questioned Presley about the child sex allegations Jackson was facing.

Defending Jackson, Presley described her husband's interactions with children.

"They [the children] don't even let him go to the bathroom without running in there with him... when he jumps in the bed, I'm even out. He jumps in there with them," she said.

"Would you let your son, when he's 12 years old, do that?" Sawyer responded.

"If I didn't know Michael, no way. But I happen to know who he is and what he is, and I know that he's not like that. I know that he has a thing for children," Presley responded.

The very next year, Presley filed for divorce from Jackson, citing "irreconcilable differences".

This article was originally published in August 2019. It has since been updated with new information.

Read more on this topic:

Without us noticing, it looks like Michael Jackson groomed us for decades.

The signs Michael Jackson was grooming the children he was close to that so many missed.

"It wasn't going to mean anything": Why Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley.

'Blanket' Jackson was just seven when his father died. This week he stopped talking.

The two boys who followed Wade Robson into Michael Jackson's bed insist they weren't abused.

Debbie Rowe says she gifted Michael Jackson two children because he was a 'wonderful man'.

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Feature Image: Getty.