DNA Verified: Did Saudi ‘sleeping' Prince recover after 20 years in coma? Truth behind viral video revealed

A viral video has been circulating online claiming that Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, famously known as the "Sleeping Prince," has finally woken up from a coma after 20 years. The video shows a man in a hospital bed being greeted by family members, and it is being shared widely on various social media platforms with captions celebrating the prince’s so-called recovery.

However, this claim is completely false.

Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, who turned 36 on 18 April 2025, is still in a coma. He has been in this condition since 2005 after suffering a serious brain injury in a car accident when he was just a teenager.

What did the viral video claim?
The video claimed that the Saudi Prince had finally opened his eyes and was greeted by his emotional family after being unconscious for nearly two decades. The text in the video said:
“Sleeping Prince of Saudi, who had a hard accident 20 years ago and has been in a coma, has finally regained his life, all thanks to the father who refused to give up on him.”

But this video has nothing to do with the prince. The man seen in the video is not Prince Al-Waleed.

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.commlfnmD

— IMJA Lifestyle (imjalifestyle) June 142025

What is the truth?
The video is actually of Saudi billionaire Yazeed Mohamed Al-Rajhi, a well-known rally driver. He was recently injured in a car crash during the Baja Jordan rally along with his co-driver Timo Gottschalk. The crash took place during the second and final stage of the race.

On 12 April, Yazeed Racing, his official team, shared an update saying both men were conscious and taken to hospital for check-ups. It was later confirmed that Al-Rajhi had fractures in two vertebrae, and his co-driver had four spinal fractures.

After some time in recovery, a video was shared showing Al-Rajhi meeting people from his hospital bed. This clip was wrongly linked with the “Sleeping Prince” and shared with misleading captions.

So, what’s the current condition of the prince?
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal is still in a coma. According to a report by Times of India, doctors had once advised his father to end life support, but he refused. The prince’s father remains hopeful, continuing to care for his son all these years.

Prince Al-Waleed is the great-grandson of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.

In summary, the viral video claiming that Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince” has woken up is not true. It features someone else who recently recovered from an accident, and not Prince Al-Waleed.