What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections 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. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
