He’s already had a lot of trouble with his guests. This time things are looking good. 91-year-old Richard Lugner and US actress Priscilla Presley seem to get along well. The opera ball can come.
Richard “Mörtel” Lugner only finds charming words for Priscilla Presley, who will accompany him to the 66th Opera Ball in Vienna on Thursday evening. The 78-year-old US actress (“The Naked Gun”) is very “easy to care for” and the “most beautiful woman” he has ever brought to the opera ball, said the 91-year-old at a joint press conference with his ex-wife Rock’n’roll legend Elvis.
Priscilla Presley, for her part, was also very relaxed and full of anticipation. The cheerful American said she had heard that everyone loved the ball so much. “I wish I could stay longer,” she said after the first 48 hours in Austria’s capital, particularly impressed by the culture and history. She left it open whether she would dare to dance with her host in the State Opera, which has been converted into a magnificent ballroom. “Let’s see what happens.” She dealt with her host’s obvious English weakness very diplomatically: “I love his accent.”
Top social event in Austria
Lugner, who made his fortune with, among other things, a shopping center, has often paid high-profile celebrities since 1992 to accompany him to the opera ball in a way that attracted media attention. It is considered the top social event in Austria with around 5,000 guests. Last year, Lugner attended the ball with actress and activist Jane Fonda. Other prominent guests this year include the Italian actor Franco Nero (“Django”), the German comedian and presenter Oliver Pocher and the folk musician Heino. They will all take a seat in the box of the German entrepreneur Markus Deussl.
Austrian cuisine, with its love of meat and sweets, doesn’t quite suit Presley’s preferences. The 78-year-old said she was a vegetarian and couldn’t handle sweets either. And in one important respect she doesn’t harmonize with Lugner at all: she’s a night owl and he goes to bed early, says Presley.
Priscilla met Elvis when she was 14
Priscilla Presley was married to Elvis from 1967 to 1973. The two met in Bad Nauheim in 1959, when Priscilla was only 14 years old. Elvis was ten years older and did military service in Hesse, Priscilla’s stepfather was stationed as an officer in Wiesbaden. The only two phrases in German that she could still speak came from this time: “What’s going on?” and goodbye”.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
