The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.
A Provocative Film
Activists created a short documentary exploring 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 sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The activists had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth 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. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Reveal
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: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”
A History of Activism
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 motorized paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘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, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: 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, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered 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, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.
