London's Metropolitan Police have stated that they are not conducting any new investigations into Prince Andrew following the release of a 2016 deposition accusing him of groping a woman's breast. The deposition was part of the unsealed documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, which were released this week under the order of a judge in a defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims.

Johanna Sjoberg, who was 21 at the time, alleges in the deposition that she was groped by Prince Andrew in 2001. This allegation is not new, and Buckingham Palace has previously called her claims "categorically untrue." Sjoberg states that she met Andrew when she was brought to Epstein's home in New York by Ghislaine Maxwell. Virginia Giuffre, whose lawsuit against Prince Andrew was settled out of court in 2022, was also present at the house during the incident.

Sjoberg explains that she initially did not know who Prince Andrew was until Maxwell took her to get a caricature puppet of him from a BBC show. She then sat on Andrew's lap, while Giuffre sat beside him on the couch with the puppet in her own lap. A photo was taken, showing the Prince Andrew puppet groping Giuffre's breast, and Andrew himself groping Sjoberg's.

In a deposition of Maxwell released among the unsealed documents, she seemingly confirms the existence of the puppet, describing it as a "caricature of Prince Andrew that was in Jeffrey's home." When asked about the incident described by Sjoberg, Maxwell says she does not recollect the details but acknowledges the puppet's existence.

The reaction in the UK to the release of these court documents has been mixed. London's Metropolitan Police stated that no investigation has been launched, but the anti-monarchy group Republic reported Prince Andrew to the police and called for a full criminal investigation into the allegations against him. Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, stated that there has been no serious criminal investigation or interview of the accused or other witnesses, despite the seriousness of the allegations and the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell.

The newly unsealed court documents also name dozens of Epstein's associates, including Prince Andrew, although many of them are not accused of any wrongdoing. Epstein, a disgraced financier, was accused of abusing underage girls and was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, was convicted of helping recruit and groom teenagers for Epstein to molest and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Prince Andrew has consistently denied all allegations against him and settled a civil case with Virginia Giuffre out of court in 2022. The settlement, reportedly worth as much as ?12 million, carried no admission of guilt. Buckingham Palace, which no longer speaks on behalf of Prince Andrew, has not commented on the newly released documents.

In the deposition, Ghislaine Maxwell denies introducing Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein and describes Virginia Giuffre's meetings with the Duke of York as "a tissue of lies." Maxwell's evidence was recorded on video tapes in 2016 and is part of the third tranche of files about Epstein to be published this week. The documents also include accounts from Epstein's victims, many of whom were underage at the time and were paid to give him massages.

Overall, the release of these documents has sparked renewed interest and debate surrounding Prince Andrew's association with Epstein and the allegations against him. While the Metropolitan Police have stated that no new investigations are being conducted, pressure groups and some members of the public are calling for a full criminal investigation into the events and individuals involved.