JK continues to cast spell on rich list

HARRY Potter author JK Rowling has become the ninth wealthiest Scot after her fortune increased by £30 million over the past year. The writer, now worth £560m, is the 148th wealthiest Brit and the 21st richest woman living in the UK.

This year the 46-year old plans to publish her first novel aimed at adults, and is understood to have received a £3m advance for the book.

It is unlikely to match the success of the Harry Potter series, which sold more than 450 million copies worldwide and spawned eight films.

Rowling has donated up to £100m to charity, including £10m for the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, named after her mother who dies of MS.

Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, the stars of the Harry Potter films, have made it onto a list of the 60 wealthiest people under 30 in Britain.