What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Images of Trump and Epstein onto 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 known as Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass without a statement. The gesture of rolling out the red carpet seemed especially servile. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision.

A Provocative Film

The group produced a nine-minute film exploring Donald Trump’s relationship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of the nation's most infamous sex offender. His name is said to be mentioned, numerous times, in documents related to the criminal probe into Epstein … Now that very man, Donald Trump, is a guest within Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he ended his friendship with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied all allegations in relation to Epstein.)

Preparations and Execution

The group had secured rooms in the adjacent Harte and Garter hotel, which boast “castle view” and, more crucially, superior castle views, according to a co-founder, Ben Stewart. They utilized a powerful projector. To broadcast sound, Stewart placed a wireless speaker, concealed inside a cereal box, atop a garbage can outside.

International press had gathered, their gaze fixed at the castle, becoming bored as Trump was delayed. The film, however, spread rapidly globally. “While the still pictures of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. The film we made gives people a social object to share, saying: ‘This is something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was seen 20m times.”

The Reveal

The film began with the recognizable Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower requires a little bit of mapping,” Stewart explains. “So there’s the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘Ah, that’s nice – a royal tribute,’ and then abruptly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein materializes. A wave of shock passed through the officers nearby, and the police raced into the hotel.”

A History of Activism

It wasn't their inaugural action; nor was it their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart piloted a paraglider near the resort where the president was staying in Scotland. The following year, officers warned him that if he tried again, they couldn’t guarantee.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists were not especially worried about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into wanting the action to succeed,” notes Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “By the time the police arrive, the message is already out.” The police response was swift, arriving in the lobby in under three minutes, highly agitated, he remembers. “Wearing jumpsuits and caps. They’d finally found some protesters. They charged up the stairs; prepared; they were on a mission to safeguard the guest. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense 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 were unsure under what law to make arrests. When they finally entered the room, “a policeman 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 team members were then arrested for malicious communication, a law related to harassment. “and it’s very specific: it’s designed to deal with a serious offence. Applying it to an act of journalism, displayed on a wall, to protect the reputation of the president, appeared contrary to the intent of the legislation,” Stewart remarks pointedly. While the others were detained, he slipped away, shortly thereafter was on a train leaving Windsor, calling lawyers.

An Ironic Interrogation

Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and re-arrested them, this time for causing a public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. When they came to be questioned, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony which was palpable, given the subject matter of the protest involved Jeffrey Epstein. Knowles and his associates just answered all queries with: “No comment.” A few minutes into the interview, the officers slid over a photo: “‘Mr Knowles, did you remove the drawer from this bedside table?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anybody else who may have had cause to take the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a giant projector, ratchet-strapped to several drawers. At that point, the detectives were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over one month later, every charge were dropped.