Changes to the Act of Succession to allow Roman Catholics to become the monarch are not a priority for the government, the foreign secretary has said.
In the Commons this afternoon, Chris Bryant said the last government had discussed the matter with officials from other Commonwealth realms, that is countries where the Queen is head of state.
The 1701 Act of Settlement dictates that a daughter of a monarch can only be next in line to the throne if she has no brothers, and any potential monarch must not be Catholic.
Bryant, a former foreign office minister, asked if those conversations would be pursued.
Hague said that with terrorism, problems in Egypt and the situation in Afghanistan, this matter is "not yet at the top of my list".
However, he said in the long term the issue is legitimate, but any changes would need the approval of the governments of the other 15 realms, which include Canada, Australia, Jamaica and New Zealand.
Last month Labour MP Keith Vaz introduced a private member's bill that called for the 1701 Act of Settlement to be changed to give females to have equal rights to the throne.
Vaz, chair of the home affairs select committee, said the 300-year-old rule of primogeniture was "outdated in the 21st century".
The matter was raised recently by Lord Dubs.
"As a country, we oppose discrimination on grounds of gender or religion and it is curious, to say the least, that we allow such discrimination to continue in the succession to the Throne," he said in the Lords.
"Does he also agree that, given that there is a bar on Roman Catholics, it is odd that there is no bar against Jews, Muslims, Hindus or even atheists?
"Does he further agree that the matter is of some urgency? If His Royal Highness Prince William and his bride have children, it would be invidious to change the arrangements then. The time to do it is surely now."
In response, justice minister Lord McNally said the government "does not have any plans to amend the Act of Settlement".
He told peers: "As the previous administration recognised, we are dealing with acts of Parliament that govern not only us but a number of countries where the Queen is head of state.
"For that reason, we have been proceeding with extreme caution."
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.