The Saudi royal famously known as the “Sleeping Prince”, Prince Al Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, 36, has died after spending two decades in a coma following a devastating car crash in London.
The tragic news was announced by his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, in a heartfelt statement posted on earlier today, July 19.
“With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with deep sorrow and sadness, we mourn our beloved son: Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah have mercy on him, who passed away today,” he wrote.
Prince Al Waleed slipped into a coma at just 15 years old after suffering severe brain trauma and internal bleeding during the accident while he was studying as a military cadet in the UK.
Despite doctors’ grim outlook, his family remained hopeful and refused to take him off life support, watching over him closely for more than 20 years.
In 2020, a brief flicker of hope stirred the kingdom when a video surfaced showing the prince seemingly responding to a voice by slightly lifting his fingers, a moment that gave the nation and his family reason to believe he might recover.
The clip, shared by Princess Noura bint Talal Al Saud, showed a woman encouraging the prince at his bedside: “Habibi, hello. Hello, hello let me see.”
He responded with a slight movement of his hand, his first and only sign of awareness in years.
However, that faint promise of recovery never progressed further.
Funeral prayers for the late prince are scheduled for Sunday at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
A separate women’s prayer service will take place at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital after Dhuhr prayers, according to local reports. A three-day mourning period has been declared, lasting until Tuesday.
