Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, known lovingly as the “Sleeping Prince,” sadly passed away this Saturday at the age of 36. His life took a turn when he was involved in a car accident in London, which left him in a coma for two decades. This occurred when he was a teenager, at the age of 15, leaving him in a vegetative state that required life support.
For all those 20 years, he remained in a hospital in Riyadh, where his devoted father, a deeply religious man, found solace in the slightest movements like twitching a finger or lifting a hand, interpreting them as heavenly signs.
The Saudi royal court recently announced the passing of Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, which has brought a lot of people’s focus back onto him. Now, he was a stickler for what he believed in. He was King Abdullah’s nephew and had a well-known brother named Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who had made a fortune with his investments. But what made headlines was Khaled’s choice to keep his son alive, even when everyone else thought it was time to let go.
This wasn’t based on what the doctors were saying; it came straight from his heart and his beliefs. The Irish Star reports, he once said, “If God had wanted him to die in the accident, he would have been in his grave now.”
A Father’s Defiance, A Nation’s Debate
Prince Khaled’s strong faith in God’s help affected his son’s life for about 20 years. After Prince Alwaleed had an awful crash while at military school in London in 2005, the doctors said his brain was not working anymore. His injuries were rather severe, like heavy trauma to his brain and bleeding inside his body. But Prince Khaled didn’t give up.
He brought his son back to Saudi Arabia and made sure he got treated at the hospital called King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh. At the hospital, Prince Alwaleed was taken care of all the time, day and night.
Prince Alwaleed bin Khalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, known as the Sleeping Prince, has passed away after being in a coma for the past 20 years following a severe car accident in London.
The reason he looks so young is that he’s essentially been asleep for 20 years. No sun damage,… pic.twitter.com/mDUwpkdCl9
— Imtiaz Mahmood (@ImtiazMadmood) July 20, 2025
There were a lot of people praying for him in public, and even little videos of his body moving a bit were shown to everyone as signs that there was still a chance for him to get better.
Khaled, who’s pretty well-known and has a lot of sway in Saudi Arabia’s huge royal family, even though he doesn’t actually hold a political job, ended up being like a poster child for religious dedication to some.
But, at the same time, he also attracted critics. For years, he’d go all out decorating his son’s room for occasions like Eid and Saudi National Day, hoping against hope for some kind of miracle to happen. Unfortunately, the miracle never showed.
The End of a Tragic Vigil For The Sleeping Prince
The Sleeping Prince’s dad shared the news about Prince Alwaleed’s passing with a post on X.
{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
Along with the message, there was a heart-wrenching black-and-white picture of the prince in bed, looking so peaceful with his eyes closed forever. It was like a moment frozen in time. His funeral took place the very next day.
The Sleeping Prince has found his peaceful slumber at last. But his tale is going to keep us all talking for a good while. It’s got everything that makes us ponder over a cup of tea: faith, medicine, and that area where hope meets denial.
