The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

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

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘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 Moment of Projection

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, 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 against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. 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. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: it’s designed to address a serious offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, 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 arrested them again, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. The activists just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a giant projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

A little more than one month later, every charge was dismissed.