The Unfolding Events: The Night The Activist Group Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, repeatedly, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in 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 group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”
The Reveal
The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and the police 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. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
Confrontation with Police
However, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers 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 told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to 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
Later that night, while the activists 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. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
A little more than one month later, all charges was dismissed.
