The Unfolding Events: The Night 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, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. 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
It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
However, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes 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 rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they 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 told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to all queries with: “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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
