Harry Potter author JK Rowling is approaching billionaire status after seeing her fortune swell by £70m in the past year, according to a list of the UK’s most wealthy individuals.
The writer, whose rags-to-riches tale began with her penning the first of her iconic wizarding tales while a single mum in an Edinburgh cafe, is said to have a net worth of £945 million.
She was placed on 8th position on the Sunday Times Rich List for Scotland, due to be published this weekend.
Ms Rowling, who has triggered controversy over her comments on gender and the clash between women’s and trans people’s rights, has been named a dollar billionaire in the past but has yet to reach that mark in the currency of her native country.
Despite an online storm over her outspoken views, her Harry Potter tales remain hugely popular and were the subject of last year’s best-selling video game Hogwarts Legacy, which sold millions of copies worldwide.
She has also recently signed a deal with Warner Bros Discovery to produce a seven-part series based on her books, while a new edition of Harry Potter audiobooks is in the works.
Ms Rowling has donated a sizeable portion of her fortune to charity in the past - with some reports suggesting she has given away £160 million - including founding the Lumos charity to help orphaned children, and the Volant Charitable Trust, which helps disadvantaged people in Scotland.
She was also named one of the UK's highest tax-payers earlier this year.
Danish tycoon Anders Holch Povlsen was named the richest person in Scotland for the third year in a row, according to the list.
READ MORE: JK Rowling says Harry Potter stars would not be forgiven over trans row
The fashion tycoon topped the list yet again, despite seeing his fortune shrink by nearly £2 billion over the past year, and he is now worth £6.3 billion, compared with £8.5 billion last year.
The billionaire is the chief executive of clothing retailer Bestseller – boasting brands such as Jack & Jones, which was founded by his father Troels Holch Povlsen in 1975.
He also holds a large stake in online fashion retailer Asos. He is the owner of vast tracts of land across Scotland, and is dedicated to the principle of rewilding some of his estates.
Mr Povlsen is closely followed by whisky tycoon Glenn Gordon and Family in second place, who saw his net worth increase by just over £1 billion in the last year to £5.6 billion.
Sir Ian Wood and family remain in third place, having seen their fortune increase by £91 million to just over £1.9 billion.
Highland Spring owner Mahdi Al-Tajir, whose value rose £4m to £1.6 billion, moves up one place into fourth, into the spot occupied last year by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, who died in August 2023.
Lady Philomena Clark and family, owners of car retailer Arnold Clark, saw their fortune decrease by £310 million over the past year, putting their worth at just over £1.5 billion and in fifth place on the list.
The 2024 list also sees a debut for David Moulsdale, founder of the Glasgow-based laser eye surgery business Optical Express, whose wealth stands at an estimated £374 million.
This year’s UK list sees the sharpest fall in the number of billionaires in its 36-year history, with the total number now at 165 compared with a peak of 177 in 2022.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf 'showing absolute contempt for women' claims JK Rowling
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Sunday Times Rich List suggests Britain’s billionaire boom has come to an end. Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away.
“Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. We’ll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy.
“These may be harder times to create wealth, but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways.
“This year’s new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.
“We know many of our readers find such people, especially those from humbler backgrounds, very inspiring.”
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