In the plush living room of Jeffrey Epstein’s New York mansion, 21-year-old Johanna Sjoberg sat on a couch beside Britain’s Prince Andrew—laughing at first—until his hand suddenly reached over and groped her breast. Ghislaine Maxwell was right there, watching, as a bizarre puppet caricature of the prince joined the scene, turning an already surreal moment into something deeply disturbing.
Sjoberg recounted the 2001 incident in sworn testimony, describing how the royal, known for his charm in public, allegedly crossed that line in private while Epstein’s inner circle looked on. The allegation, detailed in unsealed court documents, sent shockwaves through royal circles and reignited calls for accountability.
Prince Andrew has denied all wrongdoing, but the vivid memory lingers—raising urgent questions about what really happened behind those gilded doors.
In the lavish living room of Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on East 71st Street, the atmosphere was one of calculated indulgence—plush furniture, dim lighting, and an undercurrent of power. It was early 2001 when 21-year-old Johanna Sjoberg, a college student recruited to give massages at Epstein’s properties, found herself seated on a couch beside Britain’s Prince Andrew. What began as light conversation quickly turned disturbing, according to Sjoberg’s sworn deposition given in May 2016 as part of Virginia Giuffre’s defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell.
Sjoberg testified that Prince Andrew, then in his early 40s and known publicly for his affable royal demeanor, placed his hand on her breast while they posed for a photograph. Ghislaine Maxwell was present, observing the scene. Adding to the surreal horror, a puppet—a caricature resembling Prince Andrew—was brought into the moment. The puppet’s hand was manipulated to touch Sjoberg or others in a sexually suggestive way during the encounter. Sjoberg described laughing initially at the absurdity, but the groping left her uncomfortable and shaken. The incident, she said, occurred in Epstein’s presence, with the financier and his confidante facilitating the bizarre tableau.
These details emerged prominently from court documents unsealed in January 2024, part of the broader release of files from the Giuffre v. Maxwell case. The deposition transcript, spanning dozens of pages, painted a vivid picture of Epstein’s inner world: elite guests mingling with young women in settings that blurred hospitality and exploitation. Sjoberg emphasized she was not trafficked for sex by Epstein but was paid for massages and drawn into social situations that escalated inappropriately. Her account of the Prince Andrew incident has become one of the most cited allegations against the royal in connection to Epstein.
Prince Andrew has strenuously denied any wrongdoing. In his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, he called the groping claim “categorically untrue,” questioning why no sweating occurred (referencing Sjoberg’s mention of his perspiration during the alleged touch) and citing his medical condition from the Falklands War as precluding excessive sweating. He settled a civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum—reportedly millions—while insisting the settlement was not an admission of guilt. Buckingham Palace stripped him of military titles and public duties following the settlement, and he has since lived a low-profile life, though the allegations continue to shadow the monarchy.
The puppet detail, in particular, underscores the grotesque theatricality of Epstein’s circle—objects and people reduced to props in a game of dominance. Sjoberg’s testimony, corroborated in part by other filings, fueled renewed outrage when unsealed, prompting media scrutiny and victim advocates to demand fuller accountability. No criminal charges have been filed against Andrew related to these claims, and he maintains his innocence.
As additional Epstein documents surface in waves—some in 2025 releases—the questions persist: how many similar incidents occurred behind closed doors? What enabled powerful figures to enter such spaces without consequence? Sjoberg’s recollection stands as a chilling eyewitness account, a frozen moment in a mansion of secrets that continues to erode trust in institutions once thought untouchable.
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