Trump in Windsor: Pomp, Protests and the Ghost of Jeffrey Epstein

US President Donald Trump is making his second state visit to the United Kingdom . While the festivities are taking place behind the walls of Windsor Castle , anti-Trump protests are taking place outside. They are directed against Trump's policies and his murky past with the late US multimillionaire and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein .

Creative protest

On Tuesday evening (September 16, 2025), images of Trump and Epstein were projected onto the facade of Windsor Castle. Videos on social media showed a slideshow running for several minutes on a tower of the castle, while a woman's voice spoke about the relationship between Trump and Epstein.

The activist group "Led By Donkeys," which combines its protests with art projects, confirmed that they were behind the action. "Trump is being invited to our country, given the unique honor of a second state visit, and is being hosted at Windsor Castle at our expense," a spokesperson for the group told the Guardian. Given the "incredibly close ties between the US president and America's most notorious child trafficker," this should not be kept secret.

Trump has been under increasing pressure over his relationship with Epstein since a note allegedly signed by him was leaked, in which he congratulated the sex offender on his birthday and alluded to "wonderful secrets." Jeffrey Epstein, who moved in the highest circles, ran an abuse ring that victimized dozens of young women and girls. The affair has dogged the US president for weeks. Although he denies knowing about his former acquaintance's machinations, his critics aren't letting up.

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in a New York federal prison in 2019 after being charged with child sex trafficking. His accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence .

Arrests for insult

Four people were arrested in connection with the protest. Officers reacted quickly "to stop the projection," according to a police statement. A Led By Donkeys spokesperson commented: "We projected a journalistic piece onto a wall—and now people are being arrested for it. This says more about the police work during Trump's visit than about our action."

The activist group "Everyone Hates Elon" also displayed the "world's largest photo" of Trump and Epstein on a giant banner near Windsor Castle before Trump's arrival. The installation has since been removed.

"Not welcome here"

Around 70 demonstrators from the Stop Trump Coalition also gathered in front of Windsor Castle on Tuesday to peacefully protest against the US president. Cries of "Trump out" and "Donald Trump is not welcome here" echoed through the crowd.

Jake Atkinson, spokesman for the group, told the Guardian: "Donald Trump's politics are the politics of fascism and authoritarianism. We want to not only protest against Trump, but also send a signal to our government: this is not what the British people want."

Prince Andrew is absent

Some posters also commemorated Prince Andrew , the younger brother of King Charles III. He, too, had ties to Epstein . After a scandalous BBC interview in 2019 , the late Queen Elizabeth II stripped Andrew of all his titles and removed him from public life. Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's main accusers, had claimed that the prince sexually abused her multiple times when she was 17. Andrew denies the allegations but reached a settlement with Giuffre in 2022—without admitting guilt or apologizing. Giuffre died in April 2025, presumably by suicide.

Although Prince Andrew lives in Windsor, he will not be attending the festivities or on the guest list for the state banquet. Observers interpret this as an attempt to maintain distance from him, as further revelations from the Epstein files are expected in the US Congress.

No more "Trump baby"

During Trump's first state visit to the United Kingdom, people took to the streets against the US president. One of the most famous symbols of those protests remains on the ground this time: the "Trump Baby Blimp," a giant orange balloon in the shape of an angry baby with a cell phone.

The protest object, designed by Leo Murray and Matt Bonner, first floated over London in 2018 and was also shown during the state visit in 2019.

"Back then, Trump was still a joke for the British. Today, it's no longer funny," Murray told the Independent. After the 2019 protests, he and his fellow activists received threats from right-wing extremists. The balloon now belongs to the Museum of London.