The Aftermath: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

Activists created a nine-minute film exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in documents from the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, 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 everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at 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 official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

However, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; prepared; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting 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. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a serious offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, 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.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.