Prince William is facing an angry backlash over a 'ring of steel' security zone imposed around his new home in Windsor.

A six-mile cordon has been thrown up around Forest Lodge - where the Prince of Wales now lives with his wife and children - with fencing bristling with CCTV cameras and 'no entry' signs.

But furious neighbours complain they have been 'ambushed' into accepting the measures, which have cut a gouge through Windsor Great Park. 

Locals told The Mail on Sunday they felt 'absolutely gutted' about the effect the barrier around the Grade II-listed Georgian mansion has had on their lives.

The Prince and Princess moved into the 328-year-old, eight-bedroom property with George, 12, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, during the last half-term holiday. 

They intend it to be their 'forever home', where they will continue to live even after becoming King and Queen.

But the security fence, with its six-mile perimeter, has not only ruled swathes of Windsor Great Park out of bounds, but also blocked access to the rest of the land that locals have long enjoyed.

'They say you can use other gates but you can't because there's nowhere to park,' said one dog walker. 'We've lived here for 20 years, it's lovely in there.

'We appreciate they need privacy, but it's a real shame. We are absolutely gutted'.

Another local described the measures as 'excessive', saying: 'It's a blow, but they aren't going to change their minds.'

The Prince and Princess of Wales intend for Forest Lodge to be their 'forever home', where they will continue to live even after becoming King and Queen

A six-mile cordon has been thrown up around Forest Lodge with fencing bristling with CCTV cameras and 'no entry' signs

Those living within a mile of the park can pay a £60 fee for access to parts of the land unavailable to other visitors - but the new cordon has rendered that useless.

One neighbour who had enjoyed such access told this newspaper: 'It would have been decent of them to send a bottle of wine or something to apologise.'

The Waleses' new property features a ballroom and a tennis court with rooms boasting elaborate cornicing, Venetian windows, marble fireplaces and vaulted ceilings.

The family previously lived in Adelaide Cottage, which is three miles away and backs on to 650 acres of private gardens adjoining Windsor Castle.

It did not require any major additional security arrangements.

The couple's property portfolio also includes their 21-room London base, Apartment 1A in Kensington Palace, ten-bedroom Anmer Hall on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and Tam Na Ghar, a cottage at Balmoral inherited from the Queen Mother.