Saudia Arabia's ‘Sleeping Prince' passes away after being in coma for 20 years

Egypt Independent

9 hours ago

Saudi Prince Khaled bin Talal announced the death of his son, Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal, 'the Sleeping Prince,' after nearly two decades in a coma following a horrific accident in London in 2005.
Prince Khaled explained that the funeral prayer for his son will be held on Sunday at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, after the afternoon prayer.
Prince Alwaleed was born in April 1990, and was considered an outstanding student at a military college before a tragic accident changed his life.
In 2005, while studying at a military college in London, UK, he was involved in a serious car accident that left him in a coma for two decades.
He remained under close medical supervision for nearly 20 years and never regained consciousness, despite brief bouts of limited movement that offered fleeting moments of hope.
Throughout this period, his father strongly refused medical recommendations to remove him from life support, as his health condition was hopeless, expressing his firm belief that life and death were in God's hands alone.
Prince Alwaleed's more than 20-year medical struggle ended with the announcement of his death on Saturday, bringing to an end a tragic story that deeply touched the hearts of many.
How much did it cost to keep the Sleeping Prince in a coma?
The sleeping prince spent more than two decades in a coma, with some moments of slight movement but no significant recovery, at a specialized center in Saudi Arabia.
The cost of staying in an intensive care unit in a coma varies greatly, but is usually prohibitively expensive due to the nature of the intensive care required, the length of stay, the severity of the patient's condition, the treatments required, and other factors, in addition to the hospital's classification and quality.
The cost of a single patient in intensive care in Saudi Arabia ranges between 10,000-20,000 riyals per day, according to previous statements by the former head of the intensive care department at King Fahd General Hospital in Jeddah, according to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan.
A rough estimate suggested that the cost of keeping the Sleeping Prince in a coma could reach more than seven million riyals annually, meaning that the average cost over 20 years is close to 150 million Saudi riyals (approximately two billion LE).
Who is the Sleeping Prince Alwaleed bin Khalid bin Talal?
1- The Sleeping Prince, Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, was born in April 1990 and was an outstanding student at the Military College.
2- The Sleeping Prince is the eldest son of Prince Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, one of the most prominent figures in the royal family, and the nephew of the famous businessman, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
3- His father, Prince Khaled, was born in 1962 and is the third son of Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
4- He was a student at a military college in 2005 when he was involved in a horrific car accident that put him in a permanent coma until his death on Saturday.
5- He earned the nickname 'The Sleeping Prince' due to his continued coma for more than 20 years.
6- His family refused to give in to his condition despite the passing years and the disconnection of his life support.
7- The Sleeping Prince has previously moved parts of his body. In 2019, Princess Reema bint Talal posted a video of the prince moving his head from right to left.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm