What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘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 Reveal

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers didn’t know which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering 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 additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, 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. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the focus 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, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.