Riyadh: Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, famously known as Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince,” passed away on Saturday, July 19, after spending 20 years in a coma folowing a traumatic brain surgery. He was 36.
In a post on X, his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, confirmed the news of his son’s passing.
He wrote,
“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’s 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.”
Funeral prayer will be held on Sunday, July 20:
- For men: At Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh after Asr prayer
- For women: At King Faisal Specialist Hospital after Dhuhr prayer
Condolences will be received for three days — Sunday, Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22:
- Men: At Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s Palace in the Al-Fakhriyah district
- Women: At Al-Fakhriyah Palace, formerly the residence of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz
Prince Al-Waleed suffered a brain haemorrhage in 2005 after a car accident while studying at a military college in London. He had since remained in a coma and was hospitalised at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, where he was kept on a ventilator under continuous medical supervision.
Over the years, several international doctors — including specialists from the United States and Spain — were consulted in efforts to aid his recovery. Despite these attempts, he never regained consciousness.
His father, Prince Khaled, remained closely involved in his care and consistently opposed withdrawing life support, firmly believing that life and death are in God’s hands alone. At times, minor physical responses from the prince offered brief moments of hope, but his condition remained critical until his passing.
