Stephen Hawking’s family speaks out to explain picture with two women in bikinis in Epstein files

He was referenced over 250 times in the latest files

In a photo released in the Epstein files, Stephen Hawking is seen alongside two bikini-clad women sipping on cocktails.

On what appears to be a tropical island, Hawking can be seen laying on a sun lounger holding a red drink.

However, the location or date is unknown, and the context of the photo is unclear.

While the image has circulated in the past, it was featured in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice.

In the past, the world-renowned British theoretical physicist, who died in 2018 aged 76, was pictured on Little St James, often referred to as Epstein’s “Paedo Island”.

Hawking was seen in two images on the notorious island, in one in which he is seen at a barbecue with a number of other people, and in another where he is seen being given a tour of the island’s seabed from the inside of a submarine.

Reportedly, Epstein had modified the underwater vessel so Hawking could go underwater, as he used a wheelchair because of his motor neurone disease.

Before and after the documented trip to the island, Hawking’s relationship with Epstein is unclear, as there is not yet a picture of them together at any point.

In 2006, he was also on a trip to the US Virgin Islands with a group of 21 scientists attending a conference, which was funded by Epstein.

However, a spokesperson for the Hawking Family has since spoken out.

They said: "Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century while at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.

"Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme."

Meanwhile, the Mirror and Metro report that the two women are believed to be Hawking's carers.

Hawking was referenced over 250 times in the latest batch of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice.

It must be stressed, however, that being referenced in the files does not indicate any wrongdoing.

A bombshell allegation against Hawking was revealed within the documents in January, as in an email, Epstein suggested Virginia Giuffre, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s teen accuser, had made claims about the British scientist and former US President Bill Clinton.

“You can issue a reward to any of Virginia’s friends, acquaints, family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false. The strongest is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy”, the email read.

A second claim against Hawking was also found which alleged he and Epstein visited an “all male” club together in 2011.

According to the files, FBI officials received an unsubstantiated tip-off in 2019 claiming the pair were with “some Russian liaisons”.

The revelations come after the release of three million files linked to Epstein last month. However, being mentioned in the files does not imply any wrongdoing.