Who Did Prince Charles Just Send His Praise To?

Prince Charles has a message for those fighting the good fight.

Just ahead of the new year, the Prince of Wales took to Instagram to share some moving thoughts and pay tribute to a group of people near and dear to his heart. An ardent defender of religion and freedom, Charles has made his feelings well known on humanitarian causes over the last few decades.

According to a documentary entitled "The Madness of Prince Charles," the son of Queen Elizabeth "has praised Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, the Greek Orthodox church and other un-Orthodox beliefs, going against the traditional stance taken since the reign of Henry VIII" (via Express). During Henry VIII's reign in the 1500s, Christianity was established as the predominant religion of the land — though Charles intends to readjust once he accedes to the throne.

While mom Queen Elizabeth currently holds the title "Defender of the Faith," Charles revealed in 2008 that he intends to tweak the name upon accession (via Express). "Charles was making the point that, in a country with many religions now present, the sovereign should be concerned to see all religion defended and not just the Church of England," University College London's Constitution Unit noted, adding that "he offered 'Defender of Faith' as an alternative." Now, Prince Charles is making his voice heard once again.

In a lengthy Instagram post shared on New Year's Day, Prince Charles voiced his support for those fighting on the frontlines for diverse humanitarian causes. "As we start a New Year, we might take a moment to remember the many people around the world who are standing up for freedom and human rights," Charles prefaced. "In places such as Afghanistan, Syria and Myanmar, among others, the threats and reality of political and religious persecution and insecurity are coupled with an increasingly dire humanitarian situation."

"In the face of such adversity, incredibly brave individuals, local communities and international organizations are responding to great needs by providing vital assistance," the Prince of Wales further continued in praise, adding that he "[prays] for peaceful resolutions to these conflicts and that we might all be blessed with the courage to support those in need, wherever they may be."

The Prince of Wales has long been outspoken on his views of religious freedom. In 2014, amid ISIS' reign of religious terror in Iraq and Syria, Charles called the events "horrendous and heartbreaking" and added, "It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East, an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years and across which Islam spread in 700 A.D., with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries" (via CNN).