The Unfolding Events: The Evening The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

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

The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “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, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla 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 needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; 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 during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address 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 against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over 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 cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

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