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

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin 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 convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine 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. “It requires a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘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 nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “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, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, as the detainees sat in 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 belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.