What Happened Next: The Night The Activist Group Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, complete with a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.

A Provocative Film

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 was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)

The Setup

The group had booked rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, atop a garbage can outside.

The world’s media had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Reveal

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “First appeared this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the officers around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not their inaugural action; nor was it their first action targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider over the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I told them: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

Later that night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available belonged to the child protection squad – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take 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 knew what was coming: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than a month later, all charges was dismissed.