A video that recently went viral across social media platforms has sparked widespread speculation that Saudi Arabia’s Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal — often referred to as the “Sleeping Prince” — has woken up from a coma after nearly two decades.
However, this claim is false.
The footage being circulated does not show the 36-year-old Saudi royal regaining consciousness. Instead, it features Saudi billionaire and rally driver Yazeed Mohamed Al-Rajhi, who was seen recovering in a hospital after a recent accident.
The misleading video, accompanied by a caption that read, “Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal of Saudi Arabia… has finally woken up,” was shared widely.
The clip also included text stating, “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.”
This narrative quickly gained traction online, with users sharing it as proof that the royal had miraculously regained consciousness after 20 years.
The actual video shows Yazeed Al-Rajhi, not Prince Al-Waleed. According to an official update posted on April 12 by Yazeed Racing, Al-Rajhi’s Baja rally team, the businessman and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk were injured during the second and final stage of the Baja Jordan rally. They were taken to the hospital for medical checks and were later confirmed to be conscious and stable.
A follow-up statement revealed that Al-Rajhi suffered fractures in two vertebrae, while his co-driver sustained four spinal fractures. The video of Al-Rajhi greeting visitors from his hospital bed was wrongly linked to Prince Al-Waleed, fueling the false rumor.
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal has remained in a coma since a serious car crash in 2005. Despite receiving long-term care and occasional reports of minor movements, he has not regained full consciousness. He turned 36 on April 18, 2025.
The prince is the great-grandson of King Abdulaziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, and his medical condition has been the subject of public attention for years.
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