What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, 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 anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.
