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Elvis Presley’s Graceland security: The door that The King always kept unlocked and more

ELVIS PRESLEY had tight security at Graceland because of his megastardom from uncles as guards to surveillance systems and one-way mirrors. But now a Memphis Mafia member has shared the door The King would keep unlocked.

During his 20 years living at the Graceland mansion, Elvis Presley’s fans would wait for the star by the gates, hoping to get a glimpse of him or maybe even an autograph and photo. To protect his privacy and maintain his safety, The King hired his Uncles Travis Smith and Vester Presley to guard the grounds with others. But within the singer’s residence, there was always one door that pretty much remained unlocked the whole time.

During a Q&A on the Memphis Mafia Kid YouTube channel, Danny Smith (the son of Elvis’ cousin Billy) was asked if the doors to Graceland were kept locked during The King’s lifetime.

The star’s relative, who was Lisa Marie’s playmate, replied: “The back door of Graceland was usually always unlocked. I remember just going through the back door. Us kids, that the door that we went in and out of about 98 percent of the time. The front door stayed locked for the most part. But if Elvis was home sometimes it would be unlocked, especially if he was up, going in and out.”

elvis and graceland

Elvis Presley’s Graceland security: The door that The King always kept unlocked and more (Image: GETTY)

security monitors and elvis

Elvis’ security system in Graceland’s kitchen (Image: GRACELAND/GETTY)

Aside from doors, Elvis had security camera monitors based in the kitchen, his father Vernon’s office and upstairs in his bedroom.

You can see the ones on the food counter during the Graceland tour, which are still in use to this day.

During a virtual tour of the mansion that Express.co.uk took part in, archivist Angie Marchese said: “This was a security system Elvis had added in the sixties, so he could kind of see what was going on here at Graceland whenever he was here. He really had an open-door policy that if you were a friend of his and you wanted to bring somebody out to Graceland, Graceland was your house too. So you could bring anyone out you wanted to. The only place that no one was allowed to go was upstairs, without being personally invited by Elvis himself.”

back of graceland

The back of Graceland (Image: EXPRESS)

elvis timeline

Elvis timeline (Image: EXPRESS)

Elvis liked having security camera monitors in his bedroom so he had an idea of who was downstairs before heading there himself.

The King also had a security wall installed on the first-floor landing that can be seen from the bottom of the main staircase.

There’s also a couple of one-way mirrors on the wall, so the singer could see who was on the other side when coming out in public.

In later years during the 1970s, Elvis became eccentric with guns and would often be armed, even at home.

According to Danny’s mother Jo, Elvis would go to bed with a handgun on his bedside table.

During late-night conversations in his bedroom with his inner circle, if someone disagreed with him, the star would jokingly reach for the firearm asking, ‘Are you sure about that?’

Occasionally, Elvis would shoot random objects at home like the TV or toilet, sometimes in frustration or just because he was bored.

Some of his guns are on display at Graceland, including one of the televisions he shot.

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