After three months of >detention on alleged corruption charges, Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was cleared of any wrongdoing and >released.
At the beginning of November, the prince> was detained along hundreds of other prominent Saudis as part of a wide-reaching anti-corruption probe.
News of his release made international headlines on Saturday and came just hours after he told Reuters he expected it. In the few hours after he was set free, social media users and media outlets closely followed the prince's every move.
Here are a few highlights of things that happened soon after "the richest Arab man" left the kingdom's luxurious Ritz Carlton prison:
1. He was warmly welcomed back at his company
In the hours after his release from Riyadh's Ritz Carlton, Prince Alwaleed visited his Saudi firm, Kingdom Holding Company and was welcomed by tens of his employees.
Footage of him being greeted at the gates of his company is now making the rounds on social media.
2. His firm's stock shares climbed up
Stock shares in the prince's flagship Saudi firm took a hit just hours after his arrest and dwindled throughout the period of his detention.
However, since news of his release started making headlines, shares in Saudi Arabian investment firm Kingdom Holding climbed up.
According to Reuters, "the stock climbed 5.6 percent to 10.60 riyals, after jumping 10 percent on Sunday. They were at 10.28 riyals before Prince Alwaleed was detained."
Even though stock shares in Prince Alwaleed's company are steadily rising, banks are expected to "remain cautious about dealing with his company until they have more clarity about the circumstances of his release."
3. He visited his comatose nephew
In photos she uploaded to her official Twitter account on Monday, Alwaleed's daughter Princess Reem revealed her father paid an emotional visit to his comatose nephew, Prince Al Walid bin Khalid, just hours after his release.
Also dubbed the 'sleeping prince,' bin Khalid, who suffered traumatic injury following a tragic traffic accident, has been in a coma for over a decade.
4. He was hailed by family members
In a> now-viral tweet she posted on Sunday, the billionaire princes' daughter, Reem bint Alwaleed، expressed her joy at his release.
"You've lit up the world, you are my world," she >wrote in a tweet alongside a photo of her father. The tweet has since gone viral, amassing over 3,000 re-tweets at the time of writing.
Alwaleed's sister, Rima bint Talal also tweeted out about her brother's release, uploading a picture of the prince and captioning it:
"Thank God for your safe and sound return, you lit up the world my beloved brother."
5. His release was celebrated by celebs on social media
From Emirati singer Ahlam to Lebanese star Elissa, a host of Arab celebrities reacted to the news of Prince Alwaleed's release on Twitter.
6. His name trended on Saudi Twitter for hours
Just minutes after news of his release was confirmed by Saudi news outlets, a hashtag featuring Alwaleed bin Talal's name reached the top trends on Twitter.
Thousands tweeted out about the news via the Twitter tag, with the majority celebrating his release without charges.
The prince had expected his clearance and release
In his interview with Saudi Arabia's Reuters correspondent Katie Paul, Prince Alwaleed said the charges previously held against him and his detention were simply part of a "misunderstanding."
"There are no charges. There are just some discussions between me and the government. Rest assured this is a clean operation that we have and we're just in discussion with the government on various matters that I cannot divulge right now. But rest assured we are at the end of the whole story. And I'm very comfortable because I'm in my country, I'm in my city, so I feel at home. It's no problem at all. Everything's fine," he explained.
The wealthy prince wasn't the only royal held as part of a huge >anti-corruption probe the kingdom launched earlier last year.
Other members of the royal family, former and current government leaders, and prominent businessmen >were also detained in the so-called "purge."
Several of the prominent figures held as part of the campaign >were released within weeks or months, agreeing to financial deals to settle the charges against them.
"Most detainees faced with corruption allegations by the committee agreed to a settlement. The necessary arrangements are being finalized to conclude such agreements," the kingdom's attorney general Saud al-Mojeb >said in December.