Rowling richer than Queen
2003-04-27 10:42
London - Bestselling writer JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, is worth &pund;280m ($445m), making her richer than Britain's Queen Elizabeth, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List.
The annual survey of the 1 000 richest people in Britain showed that Rowling, 37, the wealthiest woman in the showbusiness section, has more than quadrupled her fortune in the past two years.
The writer's success places her at 122 in the overall list, while the queen's fortune of £250m places her at 133.
Rowling's current financial circumstances are a far cry from those she faced after the birth of her first child, Jessica, 10 years ago.
After her first marriage broke down, the single mother lived on £70 a week state benefits in a small flat in Edinburgh, writing most of her first book, Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, in a cafe as her baby slept.
Publisher Bloomsbury bought the rights to the book and advised Rowling not to use her names Joanne Kathleen on the cover because it believed boys would not read adventure stories written by a woman.
Since then sales of the Harry Potter series have topped 190 million worldwide, making her the the richest woman author in the world.
The Harry Potter series is now available in more than 40 languages, recounting the magical exploits of Harry and his wizard school friends and his struggle against evil Lord Valdemort.
The much-awaited fifth instalment, "Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix", is due to hit the shelves on June 21, and is set to beat all previous records.
The Duke of Westminster topped the Sunday Times Rich List for the third successive year, with wealth valued at £4.9bn.