A member of the Saudi royal family, Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi al Saud, 29, died last November in a luxury hotel in Kensington, West London, following a mixture of alcohol and drugs, an inquest revealed. The prince was found in the bathroom of his fifth-floor room at the Marriott Hotel on November 25, having suffered a cardiac arrest.

Authorities were alerted when hotel staff discovered the prince unresponsive; emergency services attempted resuscitation but were unsuccessful. Toxicology tests showed that Abdullah bin Fahad had a blood alcohol concentration of 222 mg per 100 ml—nearly three times the UK legal limit for driving—and elevated levels of the recreational drug GHB, alongside traces of cannabis and therapeutic amounts of anti-anxiety medication Xanax, as well as other prescribed anti-anxiety drugs.

The court heard that the prince had checked into the hotel on November 19 for a planned week-long stay. CCTV footage captured him outside his room the evening before his death, smoking a cigarette. No evidence of foul play was found.

Medical testimony during the inquest detailed the prince’s struggles with substance misuse. In August of the previous year, he was admitted to the Priory clinic in southwest London, where he underwent detoxification for alcohol, benzodiazepines, and the anti-anxiety drug pregabalin. Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Chamorro described him as engaged and supportive during treatment, noting he was not considered at risk of suicide upon discharge.

The assistant coroner, Jean Harkin, concluded that the death was due to multi-drug ingestion and recorded a verdict of death by misadventure. She indicated there were no indications the prince intended to end his life and no evidence of third-party involvement.

Abdullah bin Fahad was a descendant of the great-great-grandfather of King Salman of Saudi Arabia, highlighting his place within the extended Saudi royal family. The circumstances surrounding his death underscore ongoing concerns about substance misuse and its potential health risks, even among high-profile individuals.