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

When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a Windsor Castle banquet on September 17th, 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled to ensure it did not go unprotested. The act of rolling out the red carpet seemed particularly craven. Their subsequent art-activist event proceeded like clockwork.

A Deliberate Message

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship 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 child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, repeatedly, in the files related to the criminal probe into Epstein … And now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

The Setup

The activists had booked rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast views of the castle and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, spread rapidly everywhere. “Although photographs of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart notes, “I doubt that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ We took a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Reveal

The film began with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the police in fluorescent jackets around me, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

The Arrests

But, the activists weren't especially worried about arrest. “My nervous energy goes into wanting the action to succeed,” notes 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. “Wearing jumpsuits and baseball caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to safeguard the guest. Fortunately, no guns. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this really calm.’”

Delaying multiple police officers is a long time. It helped that officers didn’t know under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman started reading a section of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three other team members were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: its purpose is to address a really concerning offence. Applying it to 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 remarks pointedly. As his colleagues were arrested, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

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 re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the only officers available were from the child protection unit – a twist which was palpable, given the focus of the protest involved alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “‘Mr Knowles, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Mr Knowles, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, every charge was dismissed.