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

When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded like clockwork.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

International press was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

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 the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture 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 their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, did you remove 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 anticipated what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.