The Unfolding Events: The Night Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When the announcement was made for the former president's second state visit, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass unprotested. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest proceeded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, numerous times, in the files related to the investigation into Epstein … And now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with “castle view” and, even more helpfully, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, concealed within a box of cereal, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. Their film, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something significant 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. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower requires some technical calibration,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt goes through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; nor was it their first effort against Trump. Back in 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider near the hotel where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. A year later, officers warned him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the group's creators were not overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “Once the police make the intervention, the message is already out.” The police response was rapid, reaching the hotel within three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “They were in tactical gear and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were very adrenalised when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to make arrests. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer began reciting a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three other activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, projected on to a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after was on a train leaving Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later that night, while the activists sat in cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and re-arrested them, now for causing a public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators belonged to the child protection unit – an irony that was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates just answered every question with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: an image of a large projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the officers were finding it hard to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

A little more than one month later, all charges were dropped.