Riley Keough, daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley, revealed that she and husband Ben Smith-Peterson welcomed a child via surrogacy — after she made the decision to not carry the child amid her ongoing battle with Lyme disease.
The 34-year-old actress/model and granddaughter of actress Priscilla Presley and the late Elvis Presley said she could potentially “carry children,” but with all with that her body was dealing with because of the “autoimmune stuff” she had decided against it, Vanity Fair reported.
Keough and her husband welcomed a daughter last year but the world didn’t even know about her birth until Keough gave an emotional eulogy at her mother’s funeral in January. At the time, fans were also unaware of the nature of her birth.
“I think it’s a very cool, selfless, and incredible act that these women do to help other people,” Riley said.
Riley Keough battled the debilitating symptoms of her Lyme disease diagnosis during the production of #DaisyJonesAndTheSix, which her co-star Sam Claflin calls “miraculous.”
🔗: https://t.co/sryL0iIo8c pic.twitter.com/or0elI9sYS
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 8, 2023
“I can carry children, but it felt like the best choice for what I had going on physically with the autoimmune stuff,” she added.
In the same interview, the “Daisy Jones and the Six” actress talked about her daughter’s name Tupelo, which she said is a tribute to her late grandpa and King of Rock n’ Roll.
She noted that Elvis’s birthplace in Mississippi, is actually Tupelo, which she said was a way to honor him without it being as “well-known” as something like Memphis.
“I was like, ‘This is great because it’s not really a well-known word or name in relation to my family — it’s not like Memphis or something,”‘ Riley said.
However, she admits that her plan was somewhat foiled after Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar nominated movie “Elvis” starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks came out in May 2022, because Elvis birthplace was mentioned throughout.
“It’s funny because we picked her name before the Elvis movie,” Keough said. “I was like, ‘Oh, no.’ But it’s fine.”
On January 12, Riley’s mom Lisa Marie died at the age of 54. She was later laid to rest at her father’s Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, next to Keough’s brother Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020.
Days later, Keough’s grandmother Priscilla filed court documents disputing an amendment to her daughter’s will and control of the family’s trust.
In June, it was reported that Riley and Priscilla had reached a settlement the month prior, though the details were kept secret at the time.
A source told People that Keough “doesn’t want any drama with her grandmother” and was happy to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion.
“Riley is relieved to have settled the dispute over her mom’s estate,” the source added. “She wants to focus on making memories with her own daughter now. This is her priority.”
Related: Elvis’ Granddaughter Agrees To Pay Grandmother Massive Sum To Control Lisa Marie’s Trust