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

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted 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 group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction 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 uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Reveal

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train out of 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 a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

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