What Happened Next: The Night Led By Donkeys Beamed Pictures Featuring Trump and Epstein on to Windsor Castle

When plans were revealed for the former president's second state visit, including a royal dinner at Windsor on 17 September 2025, the activist collective Led By Donkeys was determined not to let it pass unprotested. The gesture of offering a lavish welcome seemed particularly craven. Their next creative protest unfolded with precision.

A Deliberate Message

Activists created a short documentary detailing the connections with notorious figure Jeffrey Epstein. It concluded: “The president of the United States was a longstanding associate of America’s most notorious sex offender. His name is said to be referenced, repeatedly, in documents related to the criminal probe into that individual … Now that president, Donald Trump, is a guest in Windsor Castle.” (For his part, Trump maintains he fell out with Epstein long prior to Epstein’s first arrest and has consistently denied any wrongdoing 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 group founder, Ben Stewart. Their equipment included a high-lumen 32,000-lumen projector. For audio, Stewart positioned a Bluetooth speaker, hidden inside a cereal box, on top of a public rubbish bin outside.

The world’s media was assembled, their gaze fixed at the castle, growing restless awaiting Trump's arrival. The film, however, gained traction everywhere. “While photographs of Epstein and Trump spread like wildfire online,” Stewart says, “I’m not sure that convinces people of anything – it simply makes Trump uncomfortable. Our documentary provides viewers something tangible to share, implying: ‘There’s something significant to look at here.’ It was a piece of guerrilla journalism about Trump and Epstein, and it was viewed by millions.”

The Reveal

It started with the official Windsor Castle logo. “It requires the castle's round tower needs a little bit of mapping,” Stewart states. “First appeared the royal coat of arms. Officers are thinking: ‘How pleasant – a royal tribute,’ and suddenly a great big picture of Jeffrey Epstein appears. This electric jolt passed through the officers nearby, and they raced into the hotel.”

Not Their First Protest

This was not their inaugural action; it wasn’t even their first effort against Trump. In 2018, during his time with Greenpeace, Stewart had flown a paraglider near the hotel where the then-president was staying in Scotland. The following year, police visited him that any repeat, his safety wasn't assured.

Confrontation with Police

However, the activists weren't overly concerned about detainment. “My nervous energy is channelled into ensuring the action to succeed,” says Oliver Knowles, another co-founder. “Once the police arrive, the die is cast.” The police response was swift, reaching the hotel within three minutes, “really pumped up”, he remembers. “Wearing tactical gear and caps. They had located the culprits. They came roaring up the stairs; they were briefed; tasked to protect the president. Thankfully, no guns. But they were extremely tense upon entering the room. I told them: ‘We should keep this calm.’”

Delaying a large number of police officers for six minutes. It helped that they were unsure which law to charge anyone. Upon finally entering the room, “a policeman began reciting a clause of the Town and Country Planning Act, which another officer told him to stop because it wasn’t right.” 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 deal with a really concerning offence. Applying it to a piece of journalism, displayed on a wall, in defense of the reputation of the president, seemed against the spirit of the legislation,” Stewart says archly. As his colleagues were arrested, he melted into the crowd, shortly thereafter was on a train out of Windsor, contacting legal counsel.

A Second Arrest and Questioning

Later in the middle of the night, as the detainees were in the cells at Maidenhead police station, police re-entered and arrested them again, now for public nuisance, having decided a stronger charge. During interrogation, the sole available interrogators were from the child protection unit – an irony which was not lost on anyone, given the subject matter of the protest concerned alleged sex offender. Knowles and his associates responded to all queries with: “I have no comment.” Shortly after starting the interview, police presented a photograph: “They asked, did you take the drawer from this nightstand?’ ‘No comment.’ ‘Sir, do you know anyone who may have had reason to remove the drawer?’ ‘No comment.’ I anticipated the next move: an image of a large projector, ratchet-strapped to four drawers. Then, the officers were finding it hard to maintain their composure.”

The Final Result

Just over a month later, all charges were dropped.