Nobel Laureate Recalls Disturbing Presence at Epstein-Funded Physics Gathering
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Phillip Peebles has publicly stated that a group of young women who mysteriously appeared at a 2006 science symposium funded by Jeffrey Epstein and attended by Stephen Hawking were probably victims of the disgraced financier. Peebles, who received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2019, attended the gathering on the Caribbean island of St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands without knowledge of Epstein's criminal activities at the time.
The 2006 Symposium and Its Unusual Attendees
The event, held just five months before Epstein was charged with soliciting prostitution from a minor, assembled 24 eminent scientists to tackle one of physics' most profound unresolved problems: reconciling Einstein's theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics. Peebles described the academic discussions as intense and serious, but one memory has persistently troubled him.
"Between talks, discussions, we would gather for coffee and mill about, very standard," Peebles told The Times. "At one time there appeared comely young women who stood about, not saying anything. I couldn't imagine what they were doing."
Peebles estimated there were six to ten young women present who appeared significantly younger than any female scientists at the conference. He noted they remained silent throughout, simply standing during breaks in proceedings. At the time, their presence seemed odd but not alarming, and he largely forgot about it until Epstein's arrest and subsequent revelations about his abuse of underage girls and young women.
Hawking's Presence and Photographic Evidence
Stephen Hawking was photographed at the symposium with two women in an image later released by the US Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files. Hawking's family has consistently maintained that the women were his carers, who accompanied him everywhere due to his motor neurone disease. The British scientist, who died in 2018 aged 76, had lived with the debilitating condition for more than 50 years.
The theoretical physicist was seen grinning alongside two women holding what appear to be fruity cocktails in a photograph uncovered by the Daily Mail. Hawking's family confirmed the photo was taken at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on St Thomas in 2006, after he delivered a speech on Quantum Cosmology at the symposium.
Epstein's Private Island and Subsequent Allegations
Although Epstein himself was not present at the main symposium, Peebles and other scientists took a boat trip to picnic on the financier's nearby private island, Little St James. Photographs that later emerged showed Hawking attending a barbecue on the island during the trip, and he was reportedly given a specially modified submarine tour of the seabed—marking his first underwater experience.
The conference was hosted at the luxurious five-star Ritz Carlton hotel on St Thomas, where rooms cost over $1,600 per night. A post on the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation blog described the event, titled "The Energy of Empty Space That Isn't Zero," and noted guests could "meet, discuss, relax on the beach, and take a trip to the nearby private island retreat of the science philanthropist Jeffrey Epstein."
Unsubstantiated Claims and Family Rebuttals
Hawking is referenced numerous times in the trove of Epstein documents released by the US Department of Justice, though there is no suggestion that his appearance in the files implies wrongdoing. Court documents revealed that Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre once alleged Hawking had "participated in an underage orgy" on Little St James—a claim that was strongly denied at the time and for which no evidence has emerged.
FBI officials also received another unsubstantiated tip alleging Epstein visited an "all male gay club" with Hawking in 2011, according to released files. The Hawking estate has declined to comment on who took the controversial photograph or how it ended up in the Epstein files.
A spokesperson for the Hawking Family told the Daily Mail: "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. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme."
Peebles' Retrospective Realization
Peebles now believes there was a darker purpose behind the young women's presence at what was presented as a serious academic conference backed by a wealthy benefactor interested in establishing an "institute for advanced study" in the Virgin Islands. The physicist noted that privately funded conferences were not unusual in his experience, and he didn't question the benefactor's identity at the time.
"I take it for granted that these young women were part of his collection of people who suffered," Peebles stated, reflecting on the memory that has gained disturbing significance in light of subsequent revelations about Epstein's abuse network.
