What Happened Next: The Evening Led By Donkeys Projected Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein onto Windsor Castle
When plans were revealed for the former president's upcoming official trip, including a royal dinner at Windsor on September 17th, 2025, the protest group Led By Donkeys was determined to ensure it did not go without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet was viewed as particularly craven. Their next art-activist event unfolded with precision.
A Deliberate Message
The group produced a short documentary detailing Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Its ending stated: “The president of the United States is alleged to have been a long-time close friend of America’s most notorious child sex trafficker. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in the files from the criminal probe into Epstein … 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 initial legal troubles and repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing in relation to 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, “castle view superior”, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, atop a public rubbish bin outside.
The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored awaiting Trump's arrival. Their film, gained traction everywhere. “Although the still pictures of Epstein and Trump went viral online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that persuades anyone of anything – it simply makes Trump uneasy. Our documentary gives people something tangible to share, implying: ‘This is something really serious to examine here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”
The Reveal
It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “Projecting onto a cylindrical building requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared this royal crest. Officers likely thought: ‘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 nearby, and they all pile into the hotel.”
Not Their First Protest
It wasn't the group’s first rodeo; it wasn’t even their first effort targeting Trump. In 2018, while working for Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a motorized paraglider over the resort where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that any repeat, they couldn’t guarantee.
The Arrests
But, the group's creators were not especially worried about arrest. “All my anxiety goes into wanting the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” Officers was swift, arriving in the lobby within three minutes, “really pumped up”, Knowles recalls. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found the culprits. They charged up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were very adrenalised upon entering the room. I had to say: ‘We should keep this calm.’”
Stalling a large number of police officers for six minutes. The fact that they didn’t know under what law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “one officer started reading a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer asked him to stop because it wasn’t right.” Knowles and three additional activists were subsequently detained for malicious communication, a stalking law. “The law is precise: its purpose is 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 contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, then soon after boarded a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.
A Second Arrest and Questioning
Some time that night, as the detainees 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 sole available interrogators were from the child protection squad – an irony which was palpable, given the focus of the protest concerned Jeffrey Epstein. The activists just answered every question with: “I have no comment.” A few minutes into the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I knew the next move: a picture of a large projector, secured to four drawers. At that point, the detectives struggled to maintain their composure.”
The Outcome
Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.
