Stephen Hawking pictured with bikini-clad women in Epstein files as young women joined science event
A photograph newly revealed in the Jeffrey Epstein files shows Stephen Hawking reclining on a sun lounger beside two bikini-clad women at a science symposium, a development that matters because it ties the late physicist’s public appearances to documents now under legal scrutiny and to broader questions about who attended Epstein-organized gatherings. The image, its setting and linked paperwork appear alongside other material that mentions Hawking repeatedly and describes young women joining Epstein science events.
Stephen Hawking: the image and how it appears in files
The undated photograph shows the world-renowned British theoretical physicist reclining with a cocktail in his hand; one of the two women is steadying the drink. The picture is included in documents released by the US Department of Justice as it investigates Jeffrey Epstein. The photograph is presented alongside other records in which Hawking’s name appears hundreds of times, though identification in the documents is not an indicator of wrongdoing.
Where and when the photograph was taken
The photograph was taken in 2006 during a science symposium at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, St Thomas, in the US Virgin Islands, where Stephen Hawking gave a speech on quantum cosmology. The wider set of files spans multiple events and images from island visits and symposiums tied to Epstein’s programs.
Young women joined the Epstein science event attended by Stephen Hawking
Materials connected to the gatherings note that young women joined the Epstein science event attended by Stephen Hawking. One photograph shows Hawking on a sun lounger beside bikini-clad women sipping cocktails; other images in the record include Hawking at an outdoor dinner on Little Saint James and touring the seabed in a submarine. The seaside photograph of him at an outdoor dinner dates from 2015 and shows him in his wheelchair with several other people.
Carers, mobility and medical needs described
The images and accompanying notes state that the two women pictured with Hawking were his long-term carers, with the context explaining that he needed round-the-clock care. Separate commentary in the files and statements note Hawking’s long battle with motor neurone disease; he died in 2018, aged 76, after living with the condition for more than 55 years. A family spokesperson highlighted his reliance on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care and rejected any insinuation of inappropriate conduct.
Epstein science gatherings, island visits and institutional descriptions
The files reference a 2006 symposium in St Thomas and show Hawking was among 21 scientists who visited St Thomas and Epstein’s 75-acre private island, Little Saint James, for a science event. The Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation described a 2012 gathering in which guests met to "discuss, relax on the beach, and take a trip to the nearby private island retreat" during the event "to determine what the consensus is, if any, for defining gravity. "
Contested claims and legal notes in the records
Two years ago, court documents revealed that Epstein told his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell she could offer a financial reward to friends of his accuser Virginia Giuffre if they could "help prove" an apparent allegation that Hawking had engaged in an "underage orgy" was false. The files also show Hawking’s name many times; the presence of a name in the documents does not itself indicate wrongdoing. The record includes images of Hawking in a submarine exploring the island’s seabed and notes that the underwater vessel had been modified to allow Hawking to get into it.
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Details that are unclear in the provided context include the exact dates of the documents’ release and further identifying information about the young women beyond their description as carers. Recent updates indicate additional material in the files; details may evolve as the investigation and document releases continue.
