What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as especially servile. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded 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 longstanding associate of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is sleeping here within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein years before Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations concerning Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
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 high-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. The film, however, gained traction globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people a social object to share, implying: ‘There’s something really serious to examine here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – the royal family,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock goes through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and the police raced into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first action targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.
Confrontation with Police
But, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into wanting the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, reaching the hotel in under three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in jumpsuits 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 upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that they didn’t know which law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to deal with a really concerning offence. To throw it at a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. While the others were detained, he melted into the crowd, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
An Ironic Interrogation
Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection squad – a twist which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered all queries with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: an image of a giant projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, all charges were dropped.