The family of late British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking has dismissed suggestions of inappropriate conduct after a photograph of him appearing alongside two bikini-clad women surfaced in documents linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, as per reports.
The viral image reportedly shows Hawking reclining on a blue lounge chair, smiling and holding a fruit-garnished cocktail in what appears to be a poolside setting.
Court documents connected to Epstein do not specify the occasion on which the photograph was taken. However, Hawking’s family said it was reportedly captured at The Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, in 2006, where the scientist had travelled to deliver a lecture on quantum cosmology.
A representative of the family told the UK’s prominent tabloid newspaper, Daily Mail, that the two women seen in the photograph were Hawking’s “long-term carers from the UK”. “Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme,” the representative said.
The event in St Thomas was reportedly hosted by Epstein in March 2006 and attended by 21 internationally known scientists. It took place months before Epstein was first charged with soliciting prostitution.
As per reports, Hawking’s name appears multiple times in the US Department of Justice’s trove of Epstein-related files, which include court documents, correspondence and contact records linked to the convicted sex offender.
A January 2015 email from Epstein to his associate Ghislaine Maxwell referred to a claim that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy” in the Virgin Islands. Epstein described the allegation as false and indicated he was seeking evidence to disprove it.
Another photograph from 2015 shows Hawking attending a barbecue in his wheelchair. During one visit, he was reportedly taken on a submarine tour near Epstein’s private island, where prosecutors later alleged illegal activities had taken place.
Hawking, who died in 2018 at the age of 76 after living with motor neurone disease for over 50 years, has not been accused of any criminal wrongdoing in connection with the Epstein case.
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