A 29-year-old Saudi prince died after reportedly consuming a lethal combination of alcohol, recreational drugs and prescription medication at a luxury hotel in London, a UK coroner's inquest has heard. The prince, identified as Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi Al Saud, was found dead in his room at the Marriott Hotel in Kensington on November 25 after suffering a cardiac arrest caused by multi-drug ingestion, according to reports by The Sun and the Daily Mirror.
Evidence presented before the Inner West London Coroner's Court showed that Prince Abdullah had checked into the hotel, where rooms cost around €600 per night, on November 19 for a planned week-long stay. CCTV footage captured him leaving the hotel briefly for a cigarette on the evening before his death.
The next day, a hotel staff member discovered him fully clothed on the bathroom floor of his fifth-floor room. Emergency services were called immediately, but paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was declared dead at the scene.
Toxicology revealed multiple substances
The inquest heard that toxicology tests found Prince Abdullah had a blood alcohol concentration of 222mg per 100ml of blood, nearly three times England's legal drink-driving limit. Medical experts told the court that this alcohol level alone was capable of causing a coma.
Investigators also detected potentially fatal levels of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly referred to as a party drug, along with cannabis, Xanax and other anti-anxiety medications in therapeutic amounts. Experts concluded that the combined effect of these substances triggered cardiac arrest, leading to his death.
Had undergone addiction treatment
The court was told that Prince Abdullah had previously struggled with alcohol misuse and dependence on prescription medication.
In August 2025, he was admitted to the Priory Clinic in Roehampton, where he underwent detoxification for alcohol, benzodiazepines and pregabalin.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Victoria Chamorro said the prince had responded well to treatment, displaying symptoms of anxiety and low mood when admitted but completing the detox programme without physical complications. Although he later missed scheduled follow-up appointments, doctors did not consider him to be at risk of self-harm when he was discharged.
Following his treatment at the Priory Clinic, Prince Abdullah also received care at Rainford Hall Clinic in Merseyside before leaving the facility in October after recovering from an upper respiratory infection, the inquest heard.
Coroner records death by misadventure
Assistant Coroner Jean Harkin concluded that there was no evidence to suggest Prince Abdullah intended to take his own life.
The court heard there was no suicide note, no indication that he had expressed suicidal thoughts and no evidence of the involvement of any third party. CCTV footage also showed that he had been alone during the final hours before his death.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, Harkin ruled that the medical cause of death was multi-drug ingestion. She also expressed her condolences to the prince's family.
The Saudi Royal Court later 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.
