In a dimly lit Manhattan apartment in 2001, Johanna Sjoberg sat on Prince Andrew’s lap for what was meant to be a playful photo—until his hand landed on her breast, an act she later described as shocking and unmistakable.
Now, years after the scandal first erupted through Jeffrey Epstein’s web of exploitation, Sjoberg has reaffirmed her account, confirming the British royal “acted inappropriately” in a moment that has become one of the most infamous allegations against him. This marks the second major accusation tied to Andrew’s association with the convicted sex offender, following Virginia Giuffre’s settled claims of sexual abuse.
The resurfaced testimony reignites fury and disbelief: How could a prince behave this way? With fresh scrutiny mounting and Andrew’s denials under renewed pressure, the question lingers—what else remains hidden in this royal-Epstein saga?
In a dimly lit Manhattan apartment in 2001, Johanna Sjoberg sat on Prince Andrew’s lap for what was meant to be a playful photo—until his hand landed on her breast, an act she later described as shocking and unmistakable.
Now, years after the scandal first erupted through Jeffrey Epstein’s web of exploitation, Sjoberg has reaffirmed her account, confirming the British royal “acted inappropriately” in a moment that has become one of the most infamous allegations against him. This marks the second major accusation tied to Andrew’s association with the convicted sex offender, following Virginia Giuffre’s settled claims of sexual abuse.
The resurfaced testimony reignites fury and disbelief: How could a prince behave this way? With fresh scrutiny mounting and Andrew’s denials under renewed pressure, the question lingers—what else remains hidden in this royal-Epstein saga?
The incident occurred at Epstein’s lavish Upper East Side townhouse. Sjoberg, then 21 and working as a massage therapist for Epstein, had been pulled into his orbit while a college student in Florida. In her 2016 deposition—given in connection with Virginia Giuffre’s civil case against Ghislaine Maxwell and later unsealed—Sjoberg recounted how Maxwell produced a grotesque caricature puppet of Prince Andrew, originally made for the BBC’s Spitting Image satire show. A tag identified it as the prince.
The group—Epstein, Maxwell, Giuffre, Andrew, and Sjoberg—decided to take photographs. Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew sat on a couch. The puppet was placed on Giuffre’s lap, its hand positioned on her breast in a mocking gesture. Sjoberg was then instructed to sit on Andrew’s lap. As the photos were taken amid laughter, Andrew placed his hand on Sjoberg’s breast. She testified clearly: “Andrew put his hand on my breast, and they took a photo.” The act was performed openly in the formal living room, with everyone present and no apparent concern for boundaries.
Sjoberg’s account does not accuse the prince of further assault, but it captures a moment of casual violation that felt normalized in Epstein’s world. The puppet’s exaggerated mimicry turned a supposed prank into a humiliating display of entitlement and objectification.
This episode stands beside Virginia Giuffre’s allegations that she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell to Prince Andrew for sex when she was 17. Giuffre’s 2021 civil lawsuit against the Duke of York ended in a multimillion-dollar settlement in 2022, with no admission of wrongdoing from Andrew, who has always denied the claims. Buckingham Palace has repeatedly dismissed Sjoberg’s testimony as “categorically untrue,” and the prince has rejected any suggestion of misconduct.
Jeffrey Epstein’s network preyed on young women, offering money and promises while exploiting their vulnerability. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and related offenses and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Sjoberg’s reaffirmed account, delivered under oath, keeps the spotlight on the disturbing intersections of power, privilege, and predation. The puppet incident—grotesque, casual, yet deeply invasive—serves as a symbol of how far consent and dignity could be disregarded in Epstein’s circle. As documents continue to be unsealed and survivors speak, the saga refuses to fade. It forces uncomfortable questions: how many other women faced similar or worse treatment? How deep did the complicity run? And how long will the powerful be shielded by silence and denial?
The royal-Epstein connection remains one of the most explosive scandals of recent decades. Sjoberg’s testimony ensures the story cannot be buried, keeping the pressure on for answers that may never fully come.
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