A Saudi prince found dead inside an upscale London hotel suffered a fatal cardiac arrest after consuming a powerful mix of alcohol and drugs, an inquest ruled Thursday.
Abdullah bin Fahad bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Jalawi al Saud, 29, had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the UK drink-driving limit, along with traces of the party drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, known as GHB, and Xanax, a London coroner’s court heard, according to The Telegraph.
The inquest was told his blood alcohol concentration was 0.222%. The legal driving limit in the UK is 0.08%.
The prince was discovered by a maid in the bathroom of his room at the Marriott Hotel in London’s affluent Kensington district on November 25 last year. Rooms at the property cost around $800 per night.
Emergency responders attempted to revive him, but he could not be resuscitated and was declared dead at the scene.
The hearing also revealed that al Saud had been receiving inpatient treatment just three months earlier at the Priory Clinic in Roehampton, an exclusive rehabilitation facility where a one-week stay can cost as much as $47,000.
In a statement presented to the court, consultant psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Chamorro said the prince had “engaged well” with detox treatment at the Priory, adding that the process “proceeded without physical side effects,” The Telegraph reported.
He had entered the clinic to undergo detox for alcohol, benzodiazepines and pregabalin, an anti-anxiety medication, the outlet said.
“He was supportive and kind to his peers, making friends,” Chamorro said.
“He was assessed as having symptoms of low mood and anxiety on admission,” she wrote.
“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 added.
After the Priory, al Saud also underwent another round of treatment at the $9,200 Rainford Hall clinic in St. Helens, Merseyside.
He reportedly recovered and left the facility on October 14.
A post-mortem examination determined that the royal had suffered cardiac arrest. He was not suffering from any acute or chronic illnesses.
He was last seen on CCTV footage going outside to smoke a cigarette.
British authorities believe that he did not intend to kill himself.
“Passed to the mercy of God Almighty His Highness Prince Abdullah bin Fahd bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed bin Jalawi Al Saud, outside the Kingdom, and will be prayed for today, Tuesday, 11/6/1447 AH, after the Asr prayer at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh,” the Saudi Royal Court said in a statement after his passing.
“May Allah bless him with His mercy, forgiveness and acceptance, and grant him a spacious abode in His Paradise, for we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.”
