The Queen and the (Former) Pauper

Former pauper J.K. Rowling, who wrote the first Harry Potter book living on welfare in a two-bedroom apartment in Scotland just 10 years ago, is now worth more than the Queen:

Rowling, 37, has more than quadrupled her personal fortune in the past two years, according to the survey by The Sunday Times newspaper.

The newspaper survey, posted Saturday on its Web site and to be published in its Sunday editions, estimates Rowling’s fortune at $444 million – based on what is believed to be her earnings from the sales of her books, the two Harry Potter movies and merchandising.

That placed her at 122 in the “Rich List,” 11 places ahead of the Queen, whose worth was estimated by the newspaper to be $397 million.

….sales of the Harry Potter series have topped 190 million copies worldwide, making her the richest female author in the world.

The newspaper said Rowling first entered the “Rich List” in 2001, four years after the publication of her first book, with personal wealth of $103 million. In 2002, she had accumulated $359 million, the newspaper estimated. [AP]

Anything is possible, it would appear.