Saudi prince dies after two decades in a coma
His father — Prince Khalid bin Talal Al Saud, a well-known member of the Saudi royal family and nephew of billionaire Prince Al-Walid bin Talal — announced that his son died in a medical facility in Saudi Arabia, reports PEOPLE.
“With faith in Allah's will and deep sorrow, we mourn our beloved son — Prince Al-Walid bin Khalid bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. May Allah have mercy on his soul. He left this world today,” — wrote the father on social media X.
Before the post, he attached a black-and-white photo of his son lying in a hospital bed with closed eyes.
Prince Al-Walid was born in April 1990. In 2005, at the age of 15, he was involved in a car accident while studying at a military college in London.
As a result of the accident, he sustained multiple severe traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding, after which he fell into a coma. He was transported to King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he remained in a coma until his death.
During the twenty years that Al-Walid was in a coma, his father decided not to cease life support and frequently posted videos on social media showing him and other family members praying for his recovery.
Some of these posts went viral, gathering millions of views — Prince Khalid praying for his son, decorating his hospital room for holidays such as Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Saudi Arabia's National Day.
Al-Walid never regained full consciousness, but his father shared videos of his minor physical responses — for example, him raising his hands or moving his fingers.
