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

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a short documentary exploring the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The commander-in-chief of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous sex offender. He’s alleged to be mentioned, repeatedly, in documents from the investigation into that individual … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest 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 secured rooms in the nearby Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media had gathered, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to examine here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”

The Moment of Projection

It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. The police are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – the royal family,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police all pile into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort targeting Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists were not overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” Officers was rapid, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, highly agitated, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this really calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. The fact that they were unsure under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were subsequently detained 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, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter boarded a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

An Ironic Interrogation

Some time in the middle of the night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – an irony that was not lost on anyone, given the focus of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photo: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Outcome

A little more than a month later, every charge were dropped.