What Happened Next: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their next 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 longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people a social object 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 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the officers around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that officers were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter boarded 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, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “They asked, 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: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.