The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president 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, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Reveal

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image 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 action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

However, the activists were not overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits 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 very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit 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.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.