Harry Potter adds £30m to JK’s pot of gold as she moves into new territory

THE rise and rise of Harry Potter author JK Rowling has continued over the past year, with her fortune increasing by a magical £30 million.

Now worth £560m, she is the 148th wealthiest Brit, the ninth wealthiest Scot and the 21st richest woman in the UK.

This year her first novel for adults will be published. She is believed to have received a £3m advance for The Casual Vacancy.

However, Rowling, 46, will have to wave a magic wand over the novel to match the success of the Harry Potter saga. The series has sold more than 450 million copies worldwide and spawned eight films, grossing £4.8m at the box office.

Her decision not to become a tax exile has cut her fortune by more than a third, and she has donated up to £100m to charity, including £10m for the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at Edinburgh University, named after her mother, who died of MS.

Meanwhile, the stars of the Potter films have made it on to the list of the 60 wealthiest people aged under 30 in Britain.

Daniel Radcliffe is eighth at £54m, Emma Watson is 17th and Rupert Grint 18th.