What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, 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, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable 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 likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded 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, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take 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 anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than a month later, all charges were dropped.
