It is not clear exactly when or where the image was taken. However, the setting appears consistent with Little Saint James, Epstein's notorious private island in the US Virgin Islands.
10:52, Wed, Feb 25, 2026 Updated: 10:55, Wed, Feb 25, 2026
Stephen Hawking pictured alongside two bikini-clad women sipping on cocktails in a photo released in (Image: DoJ)
Professor Stephen Hawking is seen beaming broadly as he sits between two bikini-clad women in a newly released photograph contained within the Jeffrey Epstein files. The celebrated Cambridge theoretical physicist appears relaxed and cheerful, holding what looks to be a brightly coloured cocktail as the trio pose in blazing sunshine. The women, dressed in swimwear, pose on either side of Prof Hawking.
It is not clear exactly when or where the image was taken. However, the setting appears consistent with Little Saint James, Epstein’s notorious private island in the US Virgin Islands, where the disgraced financier hosted a string of high-profile guests. Prof Hawking was among 21 leading scientists invited to attend a conference bankrolled by Epstein in March 2006, five months before the financier was first charged with soliciting prostitution. The event, titled “The Energy of Empty Space That Isn’t Zero,” was held at the five-star Ritz-Carlton, St Thomas, with excursions to Epstein’s nearby island retreat.
Professor Stephen Hawking is seen grinning from ear to ear, sandwiched between two bikini-clad women (Image: DoJ)
Previously surfaced images showed Prof Hawking attending a beachside barbecue during the trip. He was also given a specially arranged submarine tour of the seabed around Little Saint James. Epstein had reportedly modified the vessel to accommodate the physicist, who had lived for decades with motor neurone disease and had never been underwater before.
The new photograph emerges as part of a vast tranche of material released by the Department of Justice under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. A search of the documents reveals that Prof Hawking is referenced at least 250 times. There is no suggestion that his appearance in the files implies any wrongdoing.
Epstein, who styled himself as a “science philanthropist,” cultivated relationships with prominent academics and claimed to donate as much as £15 million a year to scientific causes. According to reports, he was particularly interested in transhumanism and theories about advancing the human race through technology and genetic engineering.
The name of Prof Hawking previously surfaced in connection with allegations made by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre claimed the physicist had “participated in an underage orgy” on the island. Epstein vehemently denied the allegation. Court documents made public in recent years indicate he instructed associate Ghislaine Maxwell to offer money to Giuffre’s friends if they could help rebut the claims.
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Another unsubstantiated tip passed to the FBI alleged that Epstein and Prof Hawking visited an all-male club in 2011. The report, released by the DoJ, recorded the caller as emotional. The tipster claimed that “it wasn’t just girls that were affected by Epstein.” The allegation was not substantiated.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
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Prof Hawking died in March 2018 aged 76.
The Express has contacted the estate of Prof Hawking for comment.
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