The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Reveal

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 this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and they all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of 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 leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

A little more than one month later, every charge were dropped.