The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over 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.

Confrontation with Police

But, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another 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. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at 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 boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that 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 were from the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.