The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for Donald Trump’s second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 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 was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a nine-minute film detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into that individual … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”

The Reveal

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

However, the group's creators were not especially worried about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure under what law to charge anyone. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to every question 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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, 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 four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.