The Aftermath: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded like clockwork.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

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 group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless 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 uncomfortable. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer 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. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on 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, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

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