Why Princess Charlotte and Prince George are set to miss big milestone at Trooping of Colour

The Trooping the Colour is one of the highlights of the royal calendar ever year - especially as it's a chance to see some of the youngest members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

• Prince George and Princess Charlotte are unlikely to be at the Trooping of Colour this year, as it's a much more scaled-back event
• This means they'll miss debuting in the procession - which most royals do at the age of five, including their father, the Duke of Cambridge, and uncle, Prince Harry
• In other royal news, their mother, the Duchess of Cambridge refuses to follow royal parenting traditions with them

But this year's public event is now set to be a much more scaled-back affair at Windsor Castle, meaning it's unlikely we will see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, mucking about with their cousins.

While Kensington Palace has not confirmed any plans or even the attendee list, it's unlikely the little ones will be included, and that means George, six, and Charlotte, five, will also miss out on a big milestone this year too – their debut in the carriage procession.

The Queen and her family usually take part in the royal procession, travelling from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guards Parade, where the monarch takes the salute and the inspection, before going back up The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where the whole family gather to watch the fly-past from the balcony.

In the past, royals' debut has been around the age of five, with George and Charlotte's father, Prince William, making his debut in the royal carriage procession in 1987 with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales and his great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, a few months before his fifth birthday.

Prince Harry was also just a few months away from his fifth birthday when he made his debut in the Trooping the Colour parade in 1989.

It was thought that George and Charlotte might have made their debut in the royal procession last year when they were aged five and four, but their mum, Kate, actually shared a carriage with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Let's hope we'll see the Cambridge children in the royal procession next year!