Over the weekend, an astonishing thing happened. Photos of Jeffrey Epstein were cast next to former President Donald Trump onto Windsor Castle in the UK. The projection topped the headlines as Trump made his historic visit to the country, exposing and humiliating the deeply troubling ties between the two men. Epstein, the high-profile sex offender arrested on child sex trafficking charges in July 2019. His life would come to an end soon thereafter, in a federal prison in Manhattan, in August of 2019.
The projection of Epstein’s image at such a high profile location calls attention to the continued focus on Trump’s and other prominent men’s relationships with Epstein. Trump has previously come under fire for his ties to the convicted sex offender. One very famous photograph documenting this visit to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 captures this entire controversy. At a gala on February 12, 2000 Epstein rubbed elbows with Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey, and the current head of MIT. His most famous visitors, however, were Melania Trump, Prince Andrew, and Gwendolyn Beck.
Prince Andrew too has received heavy scrutiny for his friendship with Epstein. She fled because he was about to face very serious charges of sexually abusing an adolescent girl as she was serving under Epstein’s control. In response, the late Queen Elizabeth removed Prince Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages in January 2022. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
In retaliation for this unauthorized projection on Windsor Castle, Thames Valley Police arrested the four. “This is unacceptable behaviour that we take very seriously,” said the policing lead for Royalty Protection, Chief Superintendent Felicity Parker. She commended officers for their quick intervention to halt the projection.
“Our officers responded swiftly to stop the projection and four people have been arrested.” – Chief Superintendent Felicity Parker
Parker further noted, “We are conducting a thorough investigation with our partners into the circumstances surrounding this incident and will provide further updates when we are in a position to do so.”
The case has reignited calls for the Justice Department to make public files about law enforcement’s handling of Epstein. In fact, this decision has been haunting Trump since the early days of his presidency. Concerns remain about Trump’s previous connections and Prince Andrew’s connection to Epstein. This projection has raised many eyebrows, led to a lot of public outcry and concern.