Ghislaine Maxwell ‘reveals there WAS an Andrew Spitting Image puppet’ as she’s quizzed over ‘groping’ claims

GHISLAINE Maxwell has revealed there was a Prince Andrew “puppet” after the royal was accused of using it to grope a young woman.

Johanna Sjoberg alleged he grabbed her breast in 2001 at the New York home of his deceased paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein.

Johanna Sjoberg, pictured in 2007, claims Andrew groped a woman on his lap as she played with a Spitting Image puppet of him

Andrew and Virginia Giuffre – then Roberts – who in 2015 claimed Andrew slept with her three times

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein in New York’s Central Park

In her testimony, she said Andrew and Virginia Giuffre – then Roberts – were sat on a couch with the puppet on her lap.

She added: “And so then I sat on Andrew’s lap — and I believe on my own volition — and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing and told the BBC in 2019 that he had never met Virginia Giuffre.

But now new unsealed documents have revealed that there was a “puppet” at Epstein’s home.

In Document 1327-28 Maxwell is quizzed about accusations that Prince Andrew groped a masseuse’s breast with a Spitting Image puppet of himself.

In the newly released transcript, Maxwell admitted there had been “a caricature” of the royal in the house.

She said: “There was a puppet – not a puppet – there was a, I don’t know how would you describe it really.

“I don’t know how would you describe it. Not a puppet. I don’t know how you would describe it.

“A caricature of Prince Andrew that was in Jeffrey’s home.”

When asked if the puppet was placed on Sjoberg’s breast she replied:” I don’t recollect.

“I recollect the puppet but I don’t recollect anything around the puppet.

“You characterized puppet, I characterize it as, I don’t know, as a characterization of Andrew.”

The documents were part of a 2015 lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Epstein’s madame Ghislaine Maxwell.

Andrew, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, Stephen Hawking and Donald Trump are among the high-profile figures named in the documents, which include previous testimony by Maxwell.

The documents shed further light on how Epstein would rub shoulders with the rich and famous – openly bragging about celebs he would claim to know.

Two rounds of legal files were released earlier this week while a third batch were unsealed tonight.

Giuffre sued Prince Andrew in 2021 for battery and infliction of emotional distress.

They settled in February 2022 for a reported £10million, though he has always denied the allegations against him and claimed he could not recall ever meeting Giuffre.

Epstein killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Maxwell, 62, is serving 20 years for sex trafficking.