The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.

The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced 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 had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning 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 remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.