POLITICS
Saudi Prince Found Dead in Luxury London Hotel Died from Drug and Alcohol Combination, Inquest Hears
An inquest in London has heard that a 29-year-old Saudi prince, who was found dead in a luxury hotel in the United Kingdom last year, died after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by a combination of drugs and alcohol.
Prince Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi Al Saud was discovered unresponsive on the bathroom floor of his room at the Marriott Hotel in Kensington on November 25, after arriving in London for what was expected to be a week-long stay.
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A hotel cleaner made the grim discovery before emergency services were called to the scene. Despite efforts by paramedics to revive him, he was pronounced dead.
The hearing revealed that toxicology tests found the prince had a blood alcohol concentration of 222mg per 100ml of blood almost three times England’s legal drink-driving limit. Medical experts told the court that the alcohol level alone could have been sufficient to induce a coma.
Further examinations detected a fatal concentration of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly known as a party drug, as well as traces of cannabis and anti-anxiety medication, including Xanax, in his system.
The court was also told that the prince had previously struggled with alcohol misuse and Xanax dependency before his death.
Several months earlier, he had been admitted to the Priory Clinic in Roehampton, where he underwent detoxification treatment for alcohol, benzodiazepines and pregabalin.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Chamorro testified that, “He was assessed as having symptoms of low mood and anxiety on admission.
“When he was discharged he was considered not to be at risk of suicide. He was discharged with a friend but then failed to attend scheduled Zoom appointments. Nevertheless there was no concern for him. He engaged well and completed his treatment.”
She further informed the court that the prince had fully recovered from an upper respiratory tract infection before being discharged from the clinic.
Following his death, the Saudi Royal Court announced his passing in an official statement, saying, “Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaid bin Jalawi Al Saud has passed away to the mercy of Almighty God, outside the Kingdom.”
The statement also confirmed that funeral prayers would be held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
Delivering her findings, Assistant Coroner Jean Harkin ruled that there was no evidence to suggest the prince intended to take his own life. She recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, with the medical cause of death listed as multi-drug ingestion.
She concluded by expressing sympathy to the bereaved family, stating, “I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of Abdullah.”
