The Aftermath: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”

The Reveal

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, 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, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.