'Sleeping prince' who spent two decades in coma has died aged 36

A comatose member of the Saudi Arabian royal family, nicknamed the 'sleeping prince', has sadly died.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal had been in a coma for the last two decades, having been involved in a serious car collision in 2005.

At the time, Khaled bin Talal was attending military school in the UK, with the tragic road traffic accident occurring on the outskirts of London.

The royal, who was 15 years old at the time of the incident, sustained a severe brain injury that left him unresponsive.

Despite the likelihood of Khaled bin Talal never regaining consciousness, his family refused the advice of medical professionals and kept him on life support at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 20 years.

The prince was 15 at the time of the crash (X)

In this time, however, the prince made slight movements with his fingers and tilted his head on several occasions in 2019, though the status of his comatose condition remained the same, despite the desperate prayers of his parents.

Khaled bin Talal is the son of Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud and Princess Reema bint Talal, and the great-grandson of King Abdulaziz or Ibn Saud, the first monarch and founder of Saudi Arabia.

The royal is also the nephew of billionaire mogul Al Waheed bin Talal Al Saud, and his great-uncle is the current ruler of the country, King Salman.

On 18 April of this year, his loved ones celebrated his 36th birthday - which, tragically, ended up being his last.

The last update on Khaled bin Talal's status was also released around this time, which reiterated that the prince '[remained] on life support, relying on mechanical ventilation and a feeding tube', as per Roya news.

His father announced the news of his death on social media over the weekend, however.

His father announced the news of his death (X)

Taking to X, he wrote: "With hearts full of faith in Allah’s decree and destiny, and with profound sadness and sorrow, 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 to Allah’s mercy today."

According to Metro, the funeral service took place on Sunday afternoon (20 Jul) at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque for men. The women's service was held at King Faisal Specialist Hospital.

A tribute has been since been issued by the Global Imams Council, representatives of which wrote on X: "The Global Imams Council extends its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the esteemed Royal Family, on the passing of Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, who passed away after a long struggle that lasted nearly twenty years following."

It continued: "As we share the grief of the Royal Family on this solemn occasion, we recall with deep respect the patience and steadfastness demonstrated by his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal, and his family a testament to their profound faith in the will and decree of Allah."