What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Reveal

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist 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: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into 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 anticipated what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

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