The Aftermath: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Reveal

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 the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that officers were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

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 causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘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 giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.