He was involved in an accident at the age of 15
The ‘Sleeping Prince’ has died after being in a coma for the past 20 years.
Prince Al-Waleed bin Khalid Al-Saud was involved in a tragic car accident in London at the age of 15, while he was studying as a military cadet.
The 36-year-old Saudi royal was nicknamed the Sleeping Prince, while hospitalised at King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh.
Prince Al-Waleed suffered a brain haemorrhage and internal bleeding in the horrific incident and despite receiving urgent medical care, he never regained full consciousness.
He was kept on a ventilator until his death, confirmed by his father. Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud had never given up hope that his eldest son would one day make a full recovery. He had firmly rejected calls to withdraw life support.
Prince Khaled bin Talal fought for his son’s life. (X)
Prince Al-Waleed is one of the great grandsons of King Abdulaziz (or Ibn Saud), Saudia Arabia’s founder and first monarch.
The current regnant, King Salman, is his great uncle and he is one of the nephews of billionaire tycoon Al Waheed bin Talal Al Saud.
The father confirmed the news of his death on social media as he quoted a verse from the Quran and wrote: “With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with deep sorrow and sadness, we mourn our beloved son: Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, may Allah have mercy on him, who passed away today.”
Back in 2015, doctors had advised Prince Khaled let nature take its course but he denied this and continued to fight for his son’s life.
There were some moments of hope over time as the Sleeping Prince was seen to make minor movements like raising fingers or tilting his head, but unfortunately, his condition never improved.
His father remained close to him and visitors offering prayers and support would often visit his hospital room.
He was just 15 when the accident happened. (X)
Funeral prayers will be held for Prince Al-Waleed today (20 July) at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
As tributes flood in for the prince, the Global Imams Council shared a statement to social media: “The Global Imams Council extends its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to… His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the esteemed Royal Family, on the passing of Prince Alwaleed bin Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, who passed away after a long struggle that lasted nearly twenty years following.
“As we share the grief of the Royal Family on this solemn occasion, we recall with deep respect the patience and steadfastness demonstrated by his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal, and his family a testament to their profound faith in the will and decree of Allah.”Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Royal Family, Saudi Arabia, Health, World News, Parenting, London
Jess Battison
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Published 11:00 16 Feb 2025 GMT
Doctor mum left ‘feeling betrayed’ by colleagues after son dies at hospital she worked at
William Hewes, 22, passed away in January 2023 within 24 hours of being admitted to Homerton University Hospital
A senior doctor has told how she has been left battling ‘feelings of betrayal’ following her son’s death at the hospital where she worked.
Deborah Burns has not returned to London‘s Homerton University Hospital – where she worked for more than 20 years – since the passing of her 22-year-old William Hewes.
The sporty young lad, who was studying history and politics at university, tragically died in January 2023 after a meningococcal infection led to meningitis, which later developed into sepsis.
Sepsis is a serious condition which occurs when the body responds improperly to an infection, damaging your body’s own tissues and organs, according to the NHS.
An inquest at Bow Coroners’ Court has heard how William passed away within 24 hours of being admitted to Homerton University Hospital.
He arrived at 12.06am before being rushed into the hospital’s resuscitation area, and eventually, he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at around 4am.
On Friday (14 February), the inquest heard how Dr Burns believed that her son was left ‘unmonitored and untreated in resus for far too long’ and that his care ‘was no better in the ICU until it was too late’.
Extracts from the mother’s statement were read at the inquest, while the mum also entered the witness box to tell how her family have lost ‘a mighty human being’.
“The grief will never go away”, Dr Burns told the court. “It is impossible for words to describe adequately the pain of this immense loss and the feelings of betrayal that I feel about William’s death and the aftermath.”
Dr Deborah Burns has told how she has been left feeling ‘betrayed’ after her son’s death (PA/Family Handout)
Earlier this week, the inquest heard how medical staff had failed to swiftly administer antibiotics to the 22-year-old, and failed to do so within an hour of his arrival at hospital as per national guidelines.
Medics involved in William’s care said they did not recall his mother raising the issue about her son’s medication to them before he finally received some at 1.25am.
In her statement, Dr Burns said she believes the antibiotics were only administered ‘because she was there’, adding: “I raised concern about the lack of antibiotics eight times before they were administered.”
She explained he originally only had one cannula, via which he received one type of medication at a time – ondansetron, fluid, two doses of morphine and paracetamol.
“By 1.15am I had become desperate and tried to squeeze some of the paracetamol through in order to free up the cannula for the antibiotics,” the consultant paediatrician said.
“From my direct experience as a witness, what I have seen in the notes, on CCTV and in statements, medical staff involved in William’s care failed to observe him in any clinically useful way. He was not himself.
“He was increasingly uncomfortable and agitated, he had poor perfusion with cold peripheries, he had blurred vision on arrival and his vision deteriorated.”
Dr Burns described a ‘scene of chaos’ and ‘a very tense atmosphere’ in the room when the decision was made to intubate William, which she said left her in ‘deep despair’.
“I had a suspicion we would lose him completely as his blood pressure would fall on intubation,” she continued. “It was at this point I decided to call William’s father as I suspected he would never see William again if he didn’t come to the hospital as soon as possible.”
William (right) pictured with his three siblings Theo, Edward and Emily (PA/Family Handout)
Dr Burns paid tribute to her ‘fiercely intelligent, insightful and very funny’ boy who ‘made people smile just by turning up’.
“The world is a quieter and less vibrant place without him,” she said. “We feel we have lost a mighty human being.”
The inquest heard that Dr Mathuratha Sivasubramaniam, the ICU registrar working the evening William was admitted, was asked to review him multiple times.
She then phoned the ICU consultant on call, Dr Petr Dlouhy, and a decision was made to transfer the young lad to intensive care.
A statement was read out from Dr Sivasubramaniam, who has since moved abroad, which outlined why she initially opted not to admit William to the ICU.
Dr Dlouhy told the court that his colleague ‘should have’ reported William’s condition to him earlier, saying that if she had done, he would have admitted him into ICU at that point.
He told the hearing that he didn’t know whether this would have changed the outcome, however, he accepted that it was likely that some treatments would have begun sooner.
Dr Ron Daniels, founder and chief executive of the UK Sepsis Trust, told the court he believed William was likely to have survived if he had received prompt care.
He said it is ‘perfectly possible’ for non-specialist medical staff to deliver the necessary treatment, and even if the 22-year-old would have still succumbed to his illness, ‘at least we would have had a family who knew that everything had been done and that this was just terrible fate’.
Dr Daniels said doctors should ‘drop everything and absolutely focus with laser sharp priority’ on patients with William’s symptoms.
The inquest into William’s death will resume on 12 March.Featured Image Credit: PA/Family Handout
Topics: UK News, Health, London, Parenting
Olivia Burke
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Updated 10:05 6 Mar 2025 GMTPublished 10:02 6 Mar 2025 GMT
YouTuber Andrew Cross dies after being taken off life support following tragic accident
The YouTuber, known as Desert Drifter, suffered a traumatic brain injury at the start of the year
The family of popular adventure YouTuber Andrew Cross have confirmed that he has passed away at the age of 36.
Andrew – who gained a large following after exploring national parks with a ‘historical twist’ on his Desert Drifter account – had suffered a traumatic brain injury earlier in the year after being involved in a serious car accident on 31 January, which had left him in need of life support.
It’s understood that Andrew had been waiting at a traffic light while driving home from the Bears Ears monument, Utah, when his car was rear-ended by another vehicle travelling at a high speed.
YouTuber Andrew Cross has died at the age of 36 (YouTube/ Desert Drifter)
Since the crash, Andrew’s family had shared regular updates with the 36-year-old’s followers via their CaringBridge account.
It was here that Andrew’s sister Jenna Spooner confirmed that he’d passed away on 4 March, following the difficult decision to remove his life support.
“Andrew’s spirit is free, surrounded by light & love,” she wrote.
“He went to be with the Lord today, March 4 at 10:50 AM MST. It was peaceful and full of love in the room with Evelyn [Andrew’s wife] by his side, his parents and close friends nearby.”
She went on to explain that hospital staff had placed Andrew on a mobile ventilator prior to removing life support and wheeled him around the ICU while all available staff lined the hallway to form a guard of honour for the adventurer.
“Andrew really lived life to the fullest, and his story & impact isn’t over yet,” she added.
Andrew Cross and his wife Evelyn (Instagram/Andrew Cross)
“It’s been wonderful to get to know him in new ways as we’ve seen photos and stories shared by so many. We look forward to more of that as we honour a life well lived.”
The news that Andrew had been involved in a serious car crash was confirmed by his wife Evelyn in early February via heartbreaking a video on his YouTube account. “Friday night Andrew was in a really bad accident and he is currently in the intensive care unit fighting for his life,” she explained in the video.
She then added that ‘this community really meant a lot to him’ and asked for prayers and good thoughts to be sent Andrew’s way.
Evelyn also explained to TMZ that the severity of Andrew’s injuries had impacted his ability to regain consciousness, with the difficult decision to remove him from life support coming after noticing he was experiencing discomfort.
“We know that a life dependent on machines is not what Andrew wants,” his sister added on CaringBridge.
