What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Images of Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next art-activist event unfolded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted 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, even more helpfully, superior castle views, said a co-founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. For audio, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, on top of a garbage can outside.

International press was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly globally. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something really serious 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 recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs some technical calibration,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. The police likely thought: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. A year later, police visited him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

But, the group's creators weren't overly concerned about detainment. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” notes Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” Officers was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to protect the president. Fortunately, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers for six minutes. It helped that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other 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, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, appeared against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train out of Windsor, calling lawyers.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Some time that night, as the detainees sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, now for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the only officers available were from the child protection squad – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew what was coming: a picture of a large projector, secured to several drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

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