Tragic Mystery: Young Saudi Prince's Death in London Hotel Linked to Drug Cocktail
A Saudi prince was found dead in a London hotel after consuming a fatal combination of alcohol and illicit substances. An inquest revealed the 29-year-old royal had a history of addiction and had recently undergone treatment for alcohol and drug dependence.
A young Saudi royal, Prince Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi al Saud, was found deceased in his luxury suite at the Marriott Hotel in Kensington, West London, on November 25 last year. The 29-year-old prince had checked into the £600-a-night room on November 19 for a planned week-long stay before his untimely death.
An inquest held at the Inner West London Coroner’s Court detailed the circumstances surrounding his passing. CCTV footage from the hotel showed Prince Abdullah leaving his room to smoke a cigarette the evening prior to his discovery. The following day, a cleaner entered his locked fifth-floor room and found him fully dressed on the bathroom floor. Emergency services and hotel security were immediately alerted, but attempts to resuscitate the prince were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Evidence presented during the inquest, including toxicology tests, revealed a critical combination of substances in his system. His blood alcohol concentration was recorded at 222mg per 100ml, which is almost three times the legal drink-drive limit of 80mg and a level capable of inducing a coma. Furthermore, potentially fatal concentrations of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly known as a party drug, were detected. Investigators also found traces of cannabis, alprazolam (Xanax) at a recreational dose, and other anti-anxiety medications at therapeutic levels.
The court also heard about Prince Abdullah's prior struggles with addiction. He had been battling alcohol dependence and Xanax misuse before his death. Records indicated that he had undergone inpatient treatment in August last year at the prestigious Priory Clinic in Roehampton, south-west London. During his stay at the clinic, which can cost up to £35,000 per week, he received detoxification for alcohol, benzodiazepines, and the anti-anxiety medication Pregabalin. Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Chamorro testified that the prince had "engaged well" with the treatment, and the detox process had "proceeded without physical side effects."