Fact-Check: Saudi ‘Sleeping Prince’ Has Not Woken Up from 20-Year Coma as Recently Circulated
BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim
A viral video circulating on social media claims that Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince,” Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, has finally woken up after spending 20 years in a coma.
Verdict
False! The man shown in the viral video is not Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal. Verified reports confirm that the prince remains in a vegetative state, and no credible updates indicate he has regained consciousness.
Background
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, often referred to in media as the “Sleeping Prince,” has been in a coma since 2005 following a traumatic brain injury sustained in a car accident while studying in a military college.
His condition has drawn sympathy from the public over the years, with his family occasionally sharing videos of minor reflexive movements such as blinking or slight hand gestures.
In June 2025, social media platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) were flooded with posts claiming that the prince had miraculously awakened after 20 years.
“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,” an X user posted, sharing a picture and a video.
The claim was accompanied by a video showing a man in a hospital bed responding to people around him. The same visuals have been shared by others across various social media platforms. Posts like these quickly went viral, leading to widespread celebration and misinformation.
Given the sensational nature of the alleged medical miracle and its potential for deception and manipulation, FactCheckAfrica investigates the claim.
Verification
FactCheckAfrica, using MyAIFactChecker, carried out a query on the claim. It was found that the man in the video is not Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, but rather Yazeed Mohamed Al-Rajhi, a well-known Saudi rally champion and businessman who was injured in a car crash during the Baja Jordan rally in May 2025.
This fact was corroborated by reverse image search and video analysis on the viral footage and also multiple reputable news sources, including: Hindustan Times, Mint, Republic World, and WION. These outlets confirmed that the viral video was incorrectly attributed to the prince and has no relation to his medical status.
According to an Instagram post by Yazeed Racing, Al-Rajhi’s official Baja rally team, on April 12, he and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk crashed during the second and final stage of Baja Jordan.
- Prince’s Current Medical Condition
As of June 2025, there has been no official statement or credible media report indicating that Prince Al-Waleed has regained consciousness. His condition remains unchanged, according to the most recent updates available on the family and public record.
The prince’s family has previously shared clips of minor movements interpreted as signs of life. However, these actions are widely understood to be reflexive and not indicative of cognitive recovery.
Wikipedia’s entry on Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, the prince’s father, continues to list Al-Waleed as being in a long-term coma.
- Previous Misidentifications
This is not the first time misleading claims about the “Sleeping Prince” have gone viral. In 2021 and again in 2022, videos of different individuals in hospital settings were falsely circulated as proof that the prince had awakened. In each case, fact-checkers debunked the claims, clarifying that the prince remains in a vegetative state.
There has been no official confirmation from the Saudi royal family, the Talal family, or any recognized medical authority indicating that Prince Al-Waleed has regained consciousness.
Recent credible reports from NDTV and The Times of India, both published in April 2025, clearly state that the Prince remains in a coma and that his condition has not changed significantly since 2019.
A recovery of this magnitude would have been widely covered by major news outlets such as Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, or Saudi Gazette. However, none have reported any such development.
Conclusion
The claim that Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal, Saudi Arabia’s “Sleeping Prince” has awakened from a 20-year coma is false. The man in the video is rally driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi, not the prince. As of June 2025, no credible evidence or statement from the Saudi royal family, media, or hospital sources indicates that the prince has regained consciousness.
