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

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from 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 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, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While 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, implying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider over the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

However, the activists weren't especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball 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 extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure which law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning 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, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated what was coming: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.