Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’ Al-Waleed Dies At 36 After 20 Yrs In Coma

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, often referred to as Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’, has died at the age of 36, following a coma that lasted nearly 20 years after a tragic car accident in London.

Family Confirms Prince Al-Waleed’s Death

Prince Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, the prince’s father, confirmed the heartbreaking news on the social media platform.

Taking to X, he posted a Quranic verse alongside a statement expressing grief, “O reassured soul, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], and enter My Paradise. With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with deep sorrow, we mourn our beloved son.”

In 2005, Prince Al-Waleed suffered a severe car crash while studying at a military academy in the United Kingdom.

He sustained a brain haemorrhage during surgery, which left him in a persistent coma. Despite the grim medical prognosis, his father consistently refused to take him off life support, firmly believing in the possibility of his recovery.

“If God had wanted him to die in the accident, he would have been in his grave now,” Prince Khaled said in a past interview.

In a moment that captured widespread attention in 2019, Prince Al-Waleed showed brief signs of movement.

Family members and media outlets reported that he raised his finger and turned his head, gestures that brought a wave of renewed hope across the kingdom.

However, those movements never progressed into full consciousness.

Prince Al-Waleed belonged to the powerful House of Saud. He was the great-grandson of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and the grandson of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz.

He was also the great-nephew of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, the current monarch.

Though not in the direct line of succession, Prince Al-Waleed remained a respected and closely watched figure in the royal family.

Public Tributes and Social Media Attention

Over the years, the prince’s condition drew attention from people worldwide.

On his birthday, each April 18, social media is flooded with messages, photos, and tributes.

Images often showed him surrounded by family and loved ones, with supporters continuing to pray for his recovery. Prince Al-Waleed’s passing has sparked an outpouring of grief across Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab world.

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