What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded like clockwork.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
The Setup
The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.
International press had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”
The Moment of Projection
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – 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 they raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists were not overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists 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 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, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.
