What Happened Next: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although 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 uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Moment of Projection
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile 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, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found 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 upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a section 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 then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to 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 responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Final Result
Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.
