The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.