What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made 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 offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created 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 longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked 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 high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.

The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first action against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They had located some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

Later in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.