Johanna Sjoberg still remembers the moment her body tensed in disbelief.
In the middle of Jeffrey Epstein’s opulent New York mansion, Prince Andrew—smiling, relaxed—reached over and touched her breast.
No discreet corner, no whispered advance. It happened openly, in front of Virginia Giuffre, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein himself, while they all posed for photographs with a grotesque puppet of the prince already groping Giuffre in the same mocking way.
Sjoberg, then 21 and working as a massage therapist for Epstein, later testified under oath that the royal’s hand lingered on her body “where he shouldn’t have.”
What was meant to be a bizarre photo-op turned into a humiliating violation—one more young woman caught in the orbit of unchecked power.
Her words now stand as the second explosive allegation against Prince Andrew, forcing the world to ask: how many others stayed silent?
Johanna Sjoberg still remembers the moment her body tensed in disbelief. In the middle of Jeffrey Epstein’s opulent New York mansion, Prince Andrew—smiling, relaxed—reached over and touched her breast. No discreet corner, no whispered advance. It happened openly, in front of Virginia Giuffre, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Epstein himself, while they all posed for photographs with a grotesque puppet of the prince already groping Giuffre in the same mocking way.
Sjoberg, then 21 and working as a massage therapist for Epstein, later testified under oath that the royal’s hand lingered on her body “where he shouldn’t have.” What was meant to be a bizarre photo-op turned into a humiliating violation—one more young woman caught in the orbit of unchecked power. Her words now stand as the second explosive allegation against Prince Andrew, forcing the world to ask: how many others stayed silent?
The incident occurred in 2001 at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. According to Sjoberg’s 2016 deposition in the Giuffre v. Maxwell case—unsealed in recent years—Maxwell retrieved a caricature puppet of Prince Andrew from an upstairs closet. The puppet, originally from the BBC satirical show Spitting Image, bore a tag identifying it as “Prince Andrew.” Sjoberg recalled it as a “great joke” when presented to the group, which included Epstein, Maxwell, Giuffre, and the prince himself.
The atmosphere shifted when someone suggested taking photos. Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew sat on a couch. The puppet was placed on Giuffre’s lap, its hand positioned on her breast. Sjoberg was then directed to sit on Andrew’s lap. As the photos were snapped amid laughter, Andrew placed his hand on Sjoberg’s breast. She described the moment plainly: “They put the puppet on Virginia’s lap, and I sat on Andrew’s lap, and they put the puppet’s hand on Virginia’s breast, and Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo.”
Sjoberg emphasized the casual, joking tone of the group, yet the act crossed clear boundaries of consent and respect. She noted the large, formal living room setting—no privacy, no hesitation from those present. The puppet’s exaggerated features mirrored the prince, turning a supposed prank into a symbol of objectification.
This account complements Virginia Giuffre’s earlier allegations that she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to Prince Andrew for sex when she was 17. Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against Andrew settled in 2022 without admission of wrongdoing, though he has denied all claims. Buckingham Palace has repeatedly called Sjoberg’s allegations “categorically untrue,” and Andrew has denied any improper conduct.
Epstein’s network preyed on young women, often recruiting them under false pretenses of legitimate employment like massages. Sjoberg, hired while attending college in Palm Beach, became entangled in this world. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and related charges, receiving a 20-year sentence. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Sjoberg’s testimony, delivered under oath, highlights the normalization of exploitation among the powerful. The puppet incident—mocking yet invasive—revealed a disturbing entitlement where boundaries dissolved in the presence of wealth and status. It raised haunting questions about how many other women endured similar or worse treatment without ever coming forward, silenced by fear, shame, or the influence of their abusers.
As unsealed documents continue to surface, they expose layers of complicity and abuse that persisted for years. Sjoberg’s memory of that moment serves as a stark reminder: what may have seemed like harmless fun to some was, for others, a profound violation. The full truth of Epstein’s circle remains incomplete, but voices like hers ensure the silence is finally breaking.
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