Who Was ‘The Sleeping Prince’, Saudi Royal Who Died After 20-Year Coma

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal died on Saturday at the age of 36. Known as “The Sleeping Prince,” he died nearly two decades after a car accident in London left him in a coma. He remained on life support under constant care in Riyadh, never regaining consciousness.

Funeral prayers will be held today. The men’s prayer will take place after the Asr prayer at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, while the women’s service will follow the Dhuhr prayer at King Faisal Specialist Hospital.

Who Was Prince Alwaleed Bin Khaled Bin Talal?

1. Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal was born on April 18, 1990.
2. He was the eldest son of Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, a prominent member of the Saudi royal family. He was also the nephew of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and the great-grandson of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.
3. Prince Alwaleed was studying at a military college in London in 2005 when he was involved in a serious car accident at the age of 15. The accident caused severe brain trauma, including a brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding, leaving him in a complete coma.
4. He was transported to King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, where he was placed on a ventilator and feeding tube.
5. His family sought medical help from specialists around the world, but despite all efforts, Prince Alwaleed never regained consciousness.
6. In 2015, doctors advised the family to consider ending life support, but his father, Prince Khaled, firmly refused, keeping faith in a possible recovery.
7. In 2019, minor physical responses such as finger movements and head turns offered brief hope, but his condition did not improve.
8. Throughout the 20 years he spent in a coma, Prince Alwaleed remained under constant medical care in Riyadh.
9. His father, Prince Khaled bin Talal, never gave up hope and maintained that life and death are solely in God’s hands.
10. Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal was not a direct son or brother of the current Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, but King Salman is his great-uncle.