Fact-Check: Did Saudi sleeping prince wake up from coma?

RIYADH: A viral video recently claimed that Saudi Arabia’s Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, known as the “Sleeping Prince,” had awakened from a coma after nearly 20 years, following a 2005 car accident.

However, this claim is false. According to reliable reports, Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal remains in a coma, and doctors have advised his father to consider ending life support.

The Saudi royal, who turned 36 on April 18, 2025, is the great-grandson of Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdulaziz.

The video in question, posted on X (formerly Twitter), was captioned: “Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, known as the ‘Sleeping Prince’ who has been in a coma since a car accident in 2005, has finally woken up.” The footage was widely shared across various social media platforms.

In reality, the video misleadingly featured Saudi billionaire Yazeed Mohamed Al-Rajhi, who was recovering from a recent accident.

According to an Instagram post by Yazeed Racing, Al-Rajhi’s official Baja rally team, the businessman was hospitalized following a rally crash in Baja Jordan on April 12 and is currently in stable condition.

“They were transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Both are fully conscious and in stable condition and are currently undergoing the necessary medical examinations to ensure their well-being,” the official statement read.

Social media users are urged to verify information before sharing it online to help curb the spread of misinformation.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal of Saudi Arabia known as the “Sleeping Prince” who has been in a coma since a car accident in 2005 has finally woken up. #Iran #Nuclear #Gaza pic.twitter.com/m1lfnmDZ1v

— IMJA Lifestyle (@imjalifestyle) June 14, 2025