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Related Articles New pictures show Stephen Hawking enjoying the hospitality of Jeffrey Epstein on the private Caribbean island where Prince Andrew is alleged to have slept with an underage "sex slave". The celebrated physicist can be seen at a barbecue on Little St James as well as taking a boat cruise and submarine tour of the sea bed off the island. Epstein, 61, is said to have paid for the submarine to be modified for Professor Hawking, who had never been underwater before. The Cambridge professor visited Epstein's "Island of Sin" in March 2006 shortly before the paedophile billionaire was charged by police in Palm Beach with unlawful sexual activity with a minor. Hawking was one of 21 internationally-renowned scientists attending a conference, funded by Epstein, on gravity at the Ritz-Carlton hotel on neighbouring island St Thomas. Epstein invited the scientists on trips to his 78-acre, private island retreat and was on hand to host them. Brought in on the billionaire's private jets, nicknamed the Lolita Express by locals, numerous teenage girls were allegedly made to take part in depraved orgies at his US Virgin Islands bolthole. In court papers, alleges that her third and final sexual encounter with Prince Andrew took place on the island when she was aged 17. According to flight log books, the prince paid at least one visit aboard Epstein's private jet to the island, although former staff claimed he frequented Little St James several times. Buckingham Palace has strenuously denied that the Duke of York, a one-time friend of Epstein, ever had sex with her. On Linkedln, Epstein describes himself as a "science philanthropist". His profile says: "Mr Epstein has contributed to many important scientific endeavours and conferences. "His work has supported eminent scientists around the world, Nobel laureates and well-known luminaries such as Stephen Hawking." Stephen Hawking pictured on a sea bed tour on a submarine off Little St James (TIM STEWART NEWS LIMITED) Besides Hawking, there were three Nobel laureates on the trips. EFTA00622762 Among those pictured with Hawking on the boat cruise is Professor Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist who works at Arizona State University. Legal documents have claimed that Epstein's properties were decorated with photographs of naked adolescent girls, but Professor Krauss said that he saw nothing of the sort. He said that the conference "wouldn't have happened if Epstein hadn't funded it" and that Epstein continues to fund research and science education. He said: "He's supporting some of the work at my institute." He added that he would have had no idea about the court proceedings against Epstein if journalists had not contacted him. Epstein served 13 months of an i8-month jail sentence after pleading guilty to charges of soliciting a minor. He was allowed to spend much of his prison sentence working at his scientific institute, the Florida Science Foundation. In a strongly-worded statement, Buckingham Palace earlier said: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with "The allegations made are false and without any foundation." A lawyer for Epstein has described the allegations of orgies by "sex slave" Roberts as "old and discredited". EFTA00622763