The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as especially servile. Their next art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed 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, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral 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, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

But, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and 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: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact 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 other activists were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.

An Ironic Interrogation

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

Just over a month later, every charge was dismissed.