The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president'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 not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier 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, numerous times, in documents from the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. 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 nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over a month later, every charge were dropped.