Priscilla Presley Insists She Wasn't Having Sex with Elvis At Age 14

Priscilla Presley is once again denying she and Elvis Presley were intimate while she was a minor -- this amid a new movie that spotlights their relationship ... controversy and all.

The ex-wife of the late icon was front and center Monday during a presser at the Venice Film Festival, just before Sofia Coppola's new film -- "Priscilla" -- was screened. During a Q&A, Priscilla was lobbed a question directly ... and she answered it head-on.

Check out what she says about their relationship -- which began with her meeting Elvis at the age of 14, and him at 24 -- but at which point, Priscilla insists, hadn't yet turned sexual.

She says what made Elvis drawn to her was the fact she would listen to him and let him pour his heart to her ... something that led to them continuing to see each other even after Elvis came back to the States following a deployment in Germany, where they first linked.

Priscilla says the fact he could confide in her and trust her was at the core of their relationship -- and while she says many might assume they were sleeping together at this time, she says that's not true ... and that Elvis respected the fact she was just a teen.

Now, despite that ... she's confessed in the past that Elvis would kiss her at this age -- and even at age 17, she went to go visit him for an overnight stay with her parents' permission.

With this larger picture ... many have criticized Elvis after the fact, alleging he was a scummy guy for zeroing in on a young girl -- but, clearly, Priscilla has no regrets ... even now calling him the love of her life, and saying she was drawn to him even after they divorced.