The Unfolding Events: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent creative protest proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film detailing the connections with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing concerning Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, said group founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something really serious to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla 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 a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first action against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider over the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists were not especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into ensuring the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits and baseball caps. They had located some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. The fact that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were then arrested for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to 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. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.

An Ironic Interrogation

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists responded to every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented 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 anticipated what was coming: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. At that point, the officers struggled to maintain their composure.”

The Outcome

Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.