The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “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. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Reveal

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, 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 officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit 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.

An Ironic Interrogation

Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.