What Happened Next: The Evening The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the protest group 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 next creative protest proceeded with precision.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a short documentary detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

However, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at 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. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.