Prince Al-Waleed bin Khalid Al-Saud, commonly referred to as Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince,” has died at the age of 36, more than twenty years following a catastrophic automobile accident in London that left him in a coma.
The prince, who was only 15 years old at the time of the incident in 2005, experienced a brain hemorrhage and internal bleeding.
He never regained full awareness and had been on a ventilator since then.
His father, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, confirmed the tragic news in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
Quoting a passage from the Quran, he wrote: “With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with profound sorrow and grief, we mourn our cherished son: Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah grant him mercy, who departed today. ”
Before the incident, Prince Al-Waleed had been enrolled in a military college in London.
Following the crash, he was transported to King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, where he remained in a coma under continuous medical supervision.
Despite his son’s prolonged condition, Prince Khaled never relinquished hope of recovery and resisted numerous appeals to withdraw life support.
Images released over the years depicted Prince Al-Waleed lying in a hospital bed, often surrounded by family members who continued to provide care for him. His case garnered extensive attention across the Arab world, where he became a symbol of hope and faith.
News of his demise has triggered an outpouring of emotion online, with the hashtag SleepingPrince trending across social media platforms.
