Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, often referred to as the Sleeping Prince in the Arab world, celebrated his 36th birthday on Friday, April 18, adding another year to his nearly two-decade long slumber.
In 2005, while studying in London, the Saudi royal was involved in a car accident that caused a severe brain injury, which caused him to lose consciousness. He has since remained in a Riyadh hospital on life support, showing no appreciable indications of recovery.
Prince Al-Waleed is still a powerful representation of faith and optimism in spite of the years that have gone by. Thousands of individuals on X (previously Twitter) expressed their emotions on his birthday by sending prayers, encouraging comments, and tributes to his family’s unwavering patience and faith in miracles.
Despite repeated medical advice, his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal, has made headlines for refusing to remove him from life support. The prince has previously stated in interviews that “God will wake him up if he wants him to.” There hasn’t been any significant development since a fleeting twitch of the prince’s fingers in 2019.
The young royal still has a feeding tube and ventilator. Many, however, see his story as a lesson in perseverance, no matter how long it takes, rather than just sorrow.
Even though life is easily forgotten, Prince Al-Waleed’s narrative still has an impact on people’s hearts and poses significant queries regarding faith, love, and medical ethics. Another birthday brings with it a reminder that some families, despite the world’s advice to let go, never give up.
