Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, often referred to as the "Sleeping Prince," recently celebrated his 36th birthday, despite remaining unconscious for almost two decades.
The Saudi royal has been in a coma since a 2005 car accident that left him with a severe head injury while he was attending military college.
He was the only one seriously injured in the crash, with his friends escaping with minor injuries.
For the past 20 years, the prince has been kept alive on life support at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
His parents, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud and Princess Reema, have steadfastly maintained that he should remain on life support, holding onto the hope that he might one day wake up.
Prince Khaled, defying medical advice, once said, "If God had wanted him to die in the accident, he would have been in his grave now."
Although doctors have advised against continuing life support, the prince’s family believes his survival was a sign that he still has a purpose.
The last signs of movement from Prince Al-Waleed were documented in 2019, when he showed slight gestures such as moving his head and lifting a finger—though these weren’t enough to suggest a full recovery.
The “Sleeping Prince,” a great-grandson of King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, the founder of Saudi Arabia, remains a symbol of hope and faith for his family, with his mother Princess Reema sharing that she still feels his spirit with them.
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