What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.
