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Saudi Arabia’s ‘Sleeping Prince’ dies after 20 years in coma; who was he?

The news was confirmed by Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud's father, Prince Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, on X.

Prince Al-Waleed was in a serious car crash while studying at a military academy in the United Kingdom (Image source: @allah_cure_dede/X)

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, popularly known as Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince,” has passed away at the age of 36 after spending two decades in a coma. The young royal had remained unconscious since 2005 following a tragic car accident in London.

The news was confirmed by Saud‘s father, Prince Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, on X. “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,” he wrote.

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{يَا أَيَّتُهَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ، ارْجِعِي إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةً مَّرْضِيَّةً، فَادْخُلِي فِي عِبَادِي، وَادْخُلِي جَنَّتِي}

بقلوب مؤمنة بقضاء الله وقدره وببالغ الحزن والأسى ننعى إبننا الغالي
الأمير الوليد بن خالد بن طلال بن عبدالعزيز آل سعود رحمه الله
الذي انتقل… pic.twitter.com/QQBbMWGOOG

— خالد بن طلال بن عبد العزيز ( أبو الوليد ) (@allah_cure_dede) July 19, 2025

According to Khaleej Times, Prince Al-Waleed was in a serious car crash while studying at a military academy in the United Kingdom. The accident left him with a severe brain hemorrhage during surgery, resulting in a long-term coma that lasted nearly 20 years.

Despite medical advice to discontinue life support, his father refused, and believed that his son could recover. “If God had wanted him to die in the accident, he would have been in his grave now,” Prince Khaled once said in an interview.

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In 2019, the prince made headlines after showing subtle signs of movement. According to reports, he raised a finger and turned his head, sparking hope among family members and his well-wishers. However, those signs never progressed into full consciousness.

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Prince Al-Waleed belonged to the influential 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. Although not in the direct line of succession, he was closely related to the current monarch, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, his great-uncle.

In recent years, Prince Al-Waleed’s condition caught the Internet’s attention, especially during his birthday on April 18, when social media users shared photos of him surrounded by family and well-wishers.