Saudi Arabia's 'Sleeping Prince': What happened to Prince Al Waleed bin Khaled
A tragic accident in 2005 made the life of the 36-year-old prince's in limbo, and thus earned him the title of 'Sleeping Prince' for the 20 years he spent lying on the bed at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh.
Over the years, any movement observed in the Prince's body made headlines, as many held onto hope for a miraculous recovery despite medical reports indicating otherwise.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
Here's what we know about the late Prince's life:
Early life
Born in April 1990 in Riyadh, Prince Alwaleed was the eldest son of Prince Khalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, a member of the Saudi royal family and brother of renowned Saudi businessman Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and Princess Rima bint Talal.
At the age of 15, Prince Alwaleed was involved in a car accident during his military studies, which caused a brain haemorrhage that put him into a coma from which he never regained consciousness, despite intensive medical efforts that included interventions by specialised teams from outside Saudi Arabia.
No further details on the accident could be independently verified by Khaleej Times as of the time of publishing the article.
Intensive efforts in the hope of any improvement in his case, including a visit by an international medical team composed of three American doctors and a Spanish one, went all in vain, according to Skynews Arabia.
In 2019, Prince Alwaleed's aunt, Princess Rima, posted a video showing him moving his head saying, "The Protector, the Powerful, the Merciful, the Compassionate… Alwaleed bin Khalid moves his head from side to side. Praise and thanks be to God."
Clinging to hope
Prince Alwaleed's father never lost hope in his son's recovery despite everything and was quoted as saying that the prince's life could have just ended in the accident itself and that God is capable of curing him.
On every occasion, the grieving father would go to his son's bed to pray and recite the Quran, wishing upon a miracle.
اخÙ�Ø°Ù� اÙ�أعزاء ØÙ�ظÙ�Ù� اÙ�Ù�Ù�
Ø£Ù�Ù�ئÙ�Ù� بÙ�Ù�اسبة ØÙ�Ù�Ù�
عÙ�د اÙ�أضØÙ� اÙ�Ù�بارÙ�
سائ�ا� ا����� عز �ج�
Ø£Ù� Ù�Ø°Ù�بÙ� Ù�Ù�ا Ù� Ù�Ù�Ù�Ù� صاÙ�Ø Ø§Ù�أعÙ�اÙ�
�أ� �ع�د� ع���ا � ع����
با�خ�ر �ا���� �ا�بر�اذ
Ù� Ù�Ù� عاÙ� Ù�Ø£Ù�Ø°Ù� Ù�Ù� أذÙ� اÙ�صØØ© Ù�اÙ�عاÙ�Ù�Ø©
�أدع� ا��� عز �ج�
Ø£Ù� Ù�Ø´Ù�Ù� ابÙ�Ù� Ù�ØبÙ�بÙ� اÙ�ذاÙ�Ù�
ع�� ���ب�ا ا����د� pic.twitter.com/JLzWIGPX7z
— خاÙ�د بÙ� Ø·Ù�اÙ� بÙ� عبد اÙ�عزÙ�ز ( أبÙ� اÙ�Ù�Ù�Ù�د ) (@allah_cure_dede) June 5, 2025
Funeral prayers for Prince Alwaleed will be held on Sunday (July 20) after the Asr prayer at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
12 hours ago
- The National
Sheikh Hamdan launches Dubai Mallathon to allow people to exercise in shopping centres
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has announced an initiative to allow people to run in the city's shopping centres during the summer heat. Dubai Mallathon will enable several sites to become health and fitness areas from 7am to 10am during August. People will be able to exercise at Dubai Mall, Dubai Hills Mall, the Springs Souk, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Marina Mall. 'With the Dubai Mallathon, we're turning familiar spaces into places that inspire movement, connection and better habits," state news agency Wam reported Sheikh Hamdan as saying. 'We want everyone in Dubai to feel they can stay active and energised in welcoming spaces built with their needs in mind. This reflects our broader commitment to placing people and families at the heart of our development plans.' The project is part of a wider aim to foster a sense of connection, encourage healthier lifestyles and create a more vibrant, supportive social life, Wam reported. 'Every step you take moves us closer towards a healthier Dubai,' Sheikh Hamdan said. 'This is a shared journey. We are all partners in transforming our city into the world's best place to live, work and visit.' Participation in Dubai Mallathon is free of charge and can be completed by registering through the official website
The National
12 hours ago
- The National
Gazans reduced to 'walking corpses' by food shortages, UNRWA chief says
Gazans have been reduced to "walking corpses" as food shortages push the territory towards starvation, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said on Thursday, after two more people died from malnutrition. The latest deaths brought the toll from starvation to 113, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Conditions inside the enclave have deteriorated sharply amid widespread acute hunger that has shocked the world. More than two million people are facing severe food shortages, with more than 100 NGOs warning that ' mass starvation ' is spreading. Israel has been accused of restricting the flow of aid but says Hamas is looting supplies and blocking distribution. "One in every five children is malnourished in Gaza city as cases increase every day," Mr Lazzarini said, citing UNRWA figures. He quoted a staff member working inside Gaza when he described Palestinians as "neither dead nor alive, they are walking corpses". Most children that UNRWA teams encountered were emaciated, weak and at high risk of dying if they do not receive treatment urgently, he added. Parents were too hungry to care for their children and "families are no longer coping, they are breaking down, unable to survive". He called for unrestricted and uninterrupted humanitarian assistance, saying UNRWA has "the equivalent of 6,000 loaded trucks of food and medical supplies in Jordan and Egypt" waiting to go. The International Rescue Committee said it was "horrified" by the reports of starvation, calling for "full, unfettered humanitarian access". "Lives are hanging by a thread ... This is a man-made hunger crisis driven by severe restrictions and a near-total blockade on aid and goods. It is preventable and it must end," said Scott Lea, the IRC's acting country director in the Palestinian territories. There was no sign of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks as Israel recalled its negotiating team from Qatar. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office said that "in light of the response Hamas provided this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel". The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said all options remained on the table if Israel does not deliver on an agreement made with the bloc this month to improve conditions. International pressure on Israel to alleviate "unbearable" suffering in Gaza is set to increase at an upcoming conference in New York in support of a Palestinian state, the EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica has told The National. The EU deal includes a substantial increase in daily aid lorries entering Gaza, the opening of several more crossing points in both the north and south, and the reopening of Jordanian and Egyptian aid routes. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organisation, has said Gaza is 'witnessing a deadly surge' in malnutrition and related diseases, and that a 'large proportion' of its roughly two million people are starving. But Israel has denied it is blocking humanitarian aid, claiming that 700 truckloads were on the Gaza side of the border waiting for international organisations to collect and distribute the supplies. Israel also said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May. The UN responded on Thursday by saying it did not know how many truckloads were awaiting distribution inside the Gaza border because Israel has not granted it access. "Despite our repeated requests, Israel has not allowed the UN to be present at the crossings, which are militarised areas," said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. "We therefore cannot verify the amount of supplies currently at the crossing," he added. Mr Laerke explained that the UN needed multiple authorisations from Israeli authorities: firstly to get aid across the border from Israel into Gaza, where it is dropped off, then a second permit for those trucks to return to Israel. A third approval was needed to drive more trucks from inside Gaza to the border areas to pick up the aid that was brought in. "It is very important to stress that it is not just about denials of requests to pick up the cargo," he said. "They must provide the green light for trucks without unnecessary delays, allow teams to use multiple, safer routes, and order troops to stay away from the convoys, and never shoot at civilians along the allocated routes - or anywhere else," Mr Laerke added. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinian people are facing the "greatest humanitarian catastrophe of our time", accusing Israel of a war crime. "How can the world abandon its humanity?" he pleaded. International news agencies AP, Reuters and AFP, as well as the BBC, said their reporters in the enclave were "increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families". They called on Israel to allow journalists freedom of movement in and out of Gaza. With the enclave sealed off, many media groups around the world depend on Palestinian reporters based in Gaza who are working for international news agencies. Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said this month that more than 200 journalists had been killed in the territory since the war began. Meanwhile, in Israel, the military said eight soldiers were wounded on Thursday when a driver deliberately rammed his car into a bus stop in what police called a "terror attack". The army said two soldiers were "moderately injured" and six "lightly injured" in the attack at the Beit Lid junction near Kfar Yona in central Israel. Police said they located the suspect's vehicle but were still searching for the perpetrator, who abandoned his car in the area. There has been a spate of violence in Israel and the occupied West Bank since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The war was sparked when Hamas attacked southern Israeli communities, killing 1,200 people and taking another 250 hostage. Israel's response has been a devastating military campaign that has to date killed close to 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Most of Gaza's two million residents have been displaced by the war, more than once in many cases, and swathes of built-up areas have been reduced to rubble.
Zawya
13 hours ago
- Zawya
Hamdan bin Mohammed launches ‘Dubai Mallathon' to transform shopping malls into fitness hubs
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, today launched Dubai Mallathon, a community-driven initiative aimed at promoting public health by encouraging all members of society to engage in daily physical activity during the summer. The initiative is set to transform shopping malls across Dubai into organised health and fitness tracks during morning hours, from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m., from 1 to 31 August. As part of the initiative, dedicated walking and running tracks will be introduced in seven of Dubai's major shopping destinations, including Dubai Mall, Dubai Hills Mall, Springs Souk, City Centre Deira, City Centre Mirdif, Mall of the Emirates, and Dubai Marina Mall. Dubai Mallathon is aligned with the goals of the Year of Community, the Dubai Social Agenda 33, and Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 33, which aim to provide the highest standards of living, residential services, and cultural and sporting events while celebrating the UAE's cultural, architectural and environmental heritage. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan said Dubai seeks to set new global benchmarks in wellbeing by making fitness an integral part of daily life. Through meaningful initiatives that bring the community together, the city aims to foster a sense of connection, encourage healthier lifestyles, and create a more vibrant, supportive social life, he added. 'With the Dubai Mallathon, we're turning familiar spaces into places that inspire movement, connection, and better habits. 'We want everyone in Dubai to feel they can stay active and energised in welcoming spaces built with their needs in mind. This reflects our broader commitment to placing people and families at the heart of our development plans.' He encouraged the public to take part in the Dubai Mallathon, describing it as a simple and accessible way to embrace healthier habits and engage with the community. 'Every step you take moves us closer towards a healthier Dubai,' he said. 'This is a shared journey. We are all partners in transforming our city into the world's best place to live, work, and visit.' Sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and held in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Mallathon initiative targets all segments of society, including youth, senior citizens, residents, children, and shopping mall employees. Designed to foster an active lifestyle in a supportive setting, the initiative incorporates motivational tools such as fitness-tracking systems, health awareness stations, dedicated children's areas, and guided stretching exercises. This community-driven experience not only encourages participation but also raises awareness about the importance of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Dubai Mallathon also seeks to make the most of the vast, underutilised indoor spaces in major malls by transforming them into safe and dynamic sporting environments. This approach offers a practical solution to the challenges of summer heat. With air-conditioned spaces and advanced infrastructure, shopping malls provide an ideal setting for exercise, removing the barrier of extreme heat and encouraging residents to maintain their physical fitness year-round. The initiative also features the 'Walk for Better Health' programme, organised by Dubai's Community Development Authority in collaboration with malls in the emirate. Participation in Dubai Mallathon is free of charge and can be completed by registering through the official website: Upon registration, participants will receive a digital card confirming their enrolment in the initiative. Dubai Mallathon also features collaborations with restaurants and retail outlets, which will offer special deals that align with the initiative's goals of promoting a balanced and active lifestyle, encouraging better nutritional choices and supporting individuals in adopting long-term, sustainable healthy habits.
