What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle
When the announcement was made for Donald Trump’s second state visit, complete with a Windsor Castle banquet on 17 September 2025, the activist collective known as Led By Donkeys felt compelled not to let it pass without a statement. The act of offering a lavish welcome seemed especially servile. Their subsequent creative protest unfolded with precision.
A Provocative Film
The group produced a short documentary exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a long-time close friend of the nation's most infamous child sex trafficker. He’s alleged to be referenced, numerous times, in the files from the investigation into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is sleeping here in Windsor Castle.” (In response, Trump has stated he ended his friendship with Epstein years before Epstein’s initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted all allegations in relation to Epstein.)
Preparations and Execution
The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, rooms advertised with views of the castle and, even more helpfully, superior castle views, according to group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a Bluetooth speaker, hidden within a box of cereal, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, staring at the castle, growing restless as Trump was delayed. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart notes, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it just makes Trump uneasy. The film we made provides viewers a social object to share, saying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ We took an act of activist journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “So there’s this royal crest. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a massive image of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. This electric jolt passed through the police in fluorescent jackets nearby, and the police all pile 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 over the resort where the president was staying during a visit to Turnberry. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.
The Arrests
However, the activists weren't overly concerned about arrest. “All my anxiety is channelled into ensuring the protest works,” says Oliver Knowles, a fellow founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “They were in tactical gear and baseball caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no firearms. But they were extremely tense when they entered the room. I had to say: ‘Let’s keep this calm.’”
Delaying a large number of police officers is a long time. It helped that officers were unsure under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, before another told him to stop as it was incorrect.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communications, a stalking law. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed 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, then soon after boarded a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, officers came in and arrested them again, this time for public nuisance, deeming it more likely to succeed. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – a twist that was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest involved alleged sex offender. The activists responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to keep a straight face.”
The Final Result
Just over one month later, all charges was dismissed.
