The 68-year-old was delivering a segment for BBC Radio 4’s “Thought for the Day,” a feature in which contemporary issues are discussed through the prism of religious faith.

This was the third time that Charles, the queen’s eldest son and heir to the throne, has taken part in “Thought for the Day.” The queen, who is recovering from a heavy cold, has never recorded a slot for the program.

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Elizabeth is Britain’s longest-serving monarch. But little is known about her personal views — she is careful to keep her own counsel. She has given exactly zero interviews to the media during her 64 years on the throne.

By contrast, much is known about Charles’s views on issues, including modern architecture and genetically modified crops. Over the years, he has fired off letters to government ministers and politicians, a number of which were made public in 2015 after the government lost a lengthy legal battle.

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It’s a matter of speculation as to what kind of king Charles will make when he is finally crowned. But what is clear is that he is far more outspoken than his mother has ever been.

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In his remarks broadcast Thursday, the heir to the throne was careful not to identify any politicians or groups. But he did say that hatred driven by religious beliefs was on the rise and expressed concern about intolerance toward refugees.

Citing figures from the United Nations, he said that more than 65 million people had been displaced in 2015 — “almost equivalent to the entire population of the United Kingdom” — and that “the suffering doesn’t end when they arrive seeking refuge in a foreign land. We are now seeing the rise of many populist groups across the world that are increasingly aggressive towards those who adhere to a minority faith. All of this has deeply disturbing echoes of the dark days of the 1930s.”

He noted that he was born in 1948, three years after the end of World War II. It was a time, he said, “in which my parents' generation had fought and died in a battle against intolerance, monstrous extremism, and in an inhuman attempt to extinguish the Jewish population of Europe.”

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He continued: “That nearly 70 years later we should still be seeing such evil persecution is, to me, beyond all belief.”

The prince’s latest remarks come as his parents' health faces close scrutiny. Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, ages 90 and 95, respectively, have “heavy colds,” according to palace officials. On Wednesday, they were forced to delay their journey to Sandringham, the royal estate in Norfolk where they typically spend Christmas. On Thursday, they were flown to Sandringham by helicopter, a journey they normally make by train.