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

When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure 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 child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, on top of a garbage can outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Moment of Projection

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

A History of Activism

This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.

The Arrests

But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball 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 guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Stalling multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer 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 other activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “The law is precise: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. To throw it at an act of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, 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, 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.