PRINCE Al-Waleed bin Khalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia has died at the age of 36, two decades after falling into a coma caused by a car crash in London in 2005.
The Royal Court confirmed his passing in a statement on Saturday, marking the end of a tragic chapter that had drawn global attention over the years.
“His Royal Highness Prince Al-Waleed bin Khalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has passed away,” the Royal Court said. “Allah bestow His mercy, forgiveness and satisfaction upon him and grant him a place in His spacious gardens. To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.”
Known affectionately as the 'Sleeping Prince', Al-Waleed was just 15 when he suffered catastrophic brain injuries and internal bleeding in a traffic accident while studying in the United Kingdom. He fell into a coma and remained on life support for the next 20 years.
Despite remaining unresponsive throughout, his family refused to withdraw life support, maintaining hope over the years as they occasionally reported signs of minor movement, including finger twitches. However, he never regained full consciousness.
His death came just weeks after a widely circulated online hoax falsely claimed he had awoken.
The prince’s funeral will take place on Sunday at the Grand Mosque in Riyadh, as announced by the Royal Court. - July 20, 2025
