JK Rowling now richer than Queen

Harry Potter author J K Rowling has overtaken the Queen in The Sunday Times rich list after amassing a fortune of £280m over the past decade.

Her books on the adventures of the schoolboy wizard have propelled her to the title of Britain's wealthiest self-made woman. There are only eight other women in the country with a larger fortune that Ms Rowling, but they have become rich by either marriage or inheritance.

With the fifth adventure, Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix, due to be published on 21 June, her fortunes can only rise further as the books continue to weave their spell on children worldwide.

Around 200m Harry Potter books have been sold, and film rights and merchandising have kept the money rolling in for the 37-year-old author. She wrote her first book while living as a single mother in Edinburgh on state benefits of £70 a week.

There are more women – 79 – than ever before among the 1,000 people on this year's Rich List, but men still dominate the top with the Duke of Westminster heading the list for the third year running.

Here is the top 10, with their ranking and value: 1 The Duke of Westminster £4.9bn; 2 Hans Rausing £4.8 bn; 3 Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone £2.4bn; 4 Charlene and Michel de Carvalho £2.284bn; 5 David and Simon Reuben £2.1bn; 6 Philip Green £1.85bn; 7 Sri and Gopi Hinduja £1.84bn; 8 Joseph Lewis £1.8 bn; 9 Kirsten Rausing £1.6bn; 10 Lord Sainsbury and Family £1.5bn.