The magic of Harry Potter has made author JK Rowling Britain's highest paid woman.
The popular adventures of the bespectacled schoolboy wizard has helped to push Ms Rowling's earnings up to £20.5 million in the past year, according to the annual Mail on Sunday list of Britain's 100 highest paid women. In just four years the 35-year-old single mother has enjoyed such phenomenal success with her four Harry Potter books that she has swapped a tiny Edinburgh flat for a £4.2 million Georgian terrace in Kensington, south west London.
Ms Nikki Beckett (39), the businesswoman who founded the computer company NSB Retail Systems, now worth £640 million, is Britain's second highest paid woman with a £14.03 million fortune.
Ms Winifred Linnett (35), a former secretary-turned property magnate, is now worth £9.76 million largely from her post as director of the family property company.
All the women on the list earn more than £500,000 last year and 64 are millionaires. Collectively they took home more than £212 million last year. More than half of the top 20 highest earners are businesswomen, seven are entrepreneurs, four are company executives while the rest are singers, writers or work in film or TV industry.
Singer Sarah Brightman (40) is the highest paid entertainer, with a £4 million fortune placing her at number 10 in the list.
Geri Halliwell (28), whose solo success has made her £3.7 million, is at the 12th highest earning spot. Boosted by a string of best selling solo singles, Geri's former colleague in the Spice Girls, Melanie Chisholm (26), has a fortune now standing at £3.55 million and is the 13th highest. In contrast, Posh Spice Victoria Beckham has cashed in on a string of lucrative magazine deals outside the band, pushing her earnings up to £2.8 million. Victoria is the joint 17th highest paid woman along with television presenter Carol Vorderman with £2.8 million.
At 14, the Welsh classical singer Charlotte Church is the youngest person on the list in 14th place with £3.5 million, ahead of cookery writer Delia Smith with £3.34 million.