Saudi Prince Abdullah Al Saud died after fatal drug and alcohol mix in London hotel, UK Coroner finds
PTC Web Desk: A UK coroner has ruled that 29-year-old Saudi Prince Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi Al Saud died after consuming a fatal combination of alcohol, party drugs and prescription medication while staying at a luxury hotel in London.
The prince was found unresponsive in his room at Marriott Hotel in Kensington on November 25 after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by multiple substances in his system.
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According to evidence presented during an inquest at the Inner West London Coroner's Court, Prince Abdullah had checked into the hotel on November 19 for a planned week-long stay. He was last seen alive on CCTV the evening before his death when he stepped outside the hotel for a cigarette.
The next day, a hotel staff member found him fully clothed on the bathroom floor of his room. Emergency services were called, but paramedics were unable to revive him and he was declared dead at the scene.
The inquest heard that toxicology tests found the prince had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal drink-driving limit in England. Investigators also detected gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly known as a party drug, along with cannabis and prescription anti-anxiety medications, including Xanax, in his system. Medical experts concluded that the combination of alcohol and drugs caused cardiac arrest, leading to his death.
The court was told that Prince Abdullah had earlier struggled with alcohol misuse and dependence on prescription medication. He underwent treatment and detoxification at the Priory Clinic in Roehampton in August 2025 for alcohol, benzodiazepines and pregabalin addiction.
Medical professionals said he responded well to treatment and completed the detox programme without complications. He later received additional care at Rainford Hall Clinic before leaving the facility in October.
Coroner rules death was misadventure
Assistant Coroner Jean Harkin concluded there was no evidence that Prince Abdullah intended to take his own life. The court found no suicide note, no indication of suicidal intent and no signs of third-party involvement. CCTV footage also showed that he was alone during the final hours before his death. The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure, stating that the medical cause of death was multi-drug ingestion.
Following the inquest, the Saudi Royal Court confirmed Prince Abdullah's death in an official statement and announced that funeral prayers would be held at the VIP Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
- With inputs from agencies
