A Saudi prince who spent more than two decades in a coma after a car crash in London has died at the age of 36.
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khalid Al-Saud suffered severe brain injuries and internal bleeding in the horrific accident when he was just 15 years old in 2005.
He was dubbed the ‘Sleeping Prince’ and was kept on a ventilator in hospital but never regained full consciousness.
Prince Al-Waleed was the eldest son of Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, who announced his death in a heartbreaking post on X today.
He said: ‘O reassured soul, Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him], And enter among My [righteous] servants, And enter My Paradise.
‘With hearts believing in Allah 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.’
Prince Al-Waleed was studying at a military college in London when he was involved in the devastating car crash.
After the accident, he was hospitalised at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh where he remained in a coma.
Prince Al-Waleed’s father, who is the brother of business tycoon Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, never gave up hope his son would one day make a full recovery.
He remained involved in the prince’s care and opposed withdrawing life support.
Clips shared on social media in 2020 showed Prince Al-Waleed lifting his fingers as a woman greets him.
‘Hi, Didi hello, hello let me see, hi,’ she says as the prince wiggles his fingers in response.
She then asked if the prince could do ‘one more, one more, higher, higher’ and he could be seen lifting his whole hand off the bed momentarily.
However, despite the signs he could be recovering Prince Al-Waleed remained in a critical condition.
Funeral prayers for the prince will be held tomorrow at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
