The Unfolding Events: 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 royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.

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 was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.