• WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald."
• J.K. Rowling recently gave fans more insight into the ambiguous relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald.
• In a film extra called "Distinctly Dumbledore"— available on the "Crimes of Grindelwald" Blu-ray — Rowling said this relationship is "key" to understanding the beloved character.
• "Their relationship was incredibly intense, it was passionate — and it was a love relationship. But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling," she said.
• "So I'm less interested in the sexual side — though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship — than I am in the sense of the emotions they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships."

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead for "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald."

In a film extra called "Distinctly Dumbledore"— available on the "Crimes of Grindelwald" Blu-ray — writer J.K. Rowling gave more background into why Dumbledore and Grindelwald's relationship is "key" to understanding the beloved future Hogwarts headmaster.

"It's not easy being Dumbledore," Rowling asserts.

"He's mistrusted by the Ministry; they know he has this dark past in which he flirted with Grindelwald's ideology," she continued. "This was the part of 'Potter' that I was most interested in revisiting because the relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore is key to making Dumbledore, Dumbledore."

Rowling went on to give fans more insight into the ambiguous dynamic of these two characters, who are enemies in "Crimes of Grindelwald" but had been close friends and co-conspirators as teenagers. 

This is your last chance to head back before spoilers.

"Their relationship was incredibly intense, it was passionate — and it was a love relationship," the author said. "But as happens in any relationship, gay or straight or whatever label we want to put on it, one never knows really what the other person is feeling. You can't know. You can believe you know."

"So I'm less interested in the sexual side — though I believe there is a sexual dimension to this relationship — than I am in the sense of the emotions they felt for each other, which ultimately is the most fascinating thing about all human relationships."

Rowling famously revealed that she "always thought of Dumbledore as gay" after publishing the seventh and final book in the original series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Some fans have expressed disappointment and even feelings of betrayal that Dumbledore's sexuality hasn't been openly represented in the spinoff film series, "Fantastic Beasts," which sees the beloved wizard as a much younger man.

Read more: Why devoted 'Harry Potter' fans feel betrayed by J.K. Rowling and the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise

"There are scenes in the movie where I was very conscious of wanting to try and suggest that Dumbledore still held this affection for Grindelwald," the director, David Yates, said in the extra. "There was not just regret but there was still a love that existed between the two men." 

"This is a relationship that is compelling and profound and authentic," he continued, "and, alongside all the bells and whistles of adventure and fantasy and beasts and everything else, this is a story about these two men who loved each other. And, ultimately, have to fight each other. It's a story for the 21st Century."

Ezra Miller, who portrays Credence Barebone and identifies as queer in real life, previously weighed in on the controversial decision not to make Dumbledore's attraction to Grindelwald "explicit" onscreen.

"It's a funny idea to me that every form of representation has to look the same,"Miller told Total Film just before the sequel's release.

"For me, personally, I find Dumbledore's queerness extremely explicit in this film," Miller continued. "He sees Grindelwald, his young lover who's the love of his life; he sees him in the Mirror of Erised. What does the Mirror of Erised show you? Nothing more than the most desperate desire of your heart. If that's not explicitly gay, I don't know what is."

In another controversial decision, the twist ending of "Crimes of Grindelwald" revealed that Miller's character Credence is, in fact, Dumbledore's brother.

Read more: 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald' ends with an unexpected reveal that will divide the fandom — here's what to know

"It's at the absolute heart of what the issue is between Dumbledore and Grindelwald," Rowling said of the reveal in the film extra — though she also hinted that everything may not be as it seems.

"The one big question that gets answered in this movie would be, 'Who is Credence?' But upon that simple question hangs a number of other stories, so make no assumptions," she said in a separate clip. "Whatever you think you know at the end of the movie might not be the case by the time you get to the end of the third movie... You really have to let this story unfold before you draw real conclusions."

• Read more of INSIDER's "Crimes of Grindelwald" coverage:
• How Jude Law was cast as a younger, hotter Dumbledore in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'
• 12 sneaky 'Harry Potter' references you may have missed in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'
• Here are all the 'Harry Potter' and 'Fantastic Beasts' movies ranked, according to critics
• Jude Law says he wasn't aware that Dumbledore wouldn't be 'explicitly' gay in 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald'

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• J.K. Rowling recently gave more insight into the backstory of Nagini, Voldemort's snake in "Harry Potter" who appears as a woman in the prequel series, "Fantastic Beasts."
• Rowling previously revealed that Nagini is a Maledictus, which means she carries a blood curse that will doom her to transform permanently into a beast.
• In a film extra called "Credence, Nagini and the Circus Arcanus," available on the "Crimes of Grindelwald" Blu-ray, Rowling said she "knew all along about Nagini."
• "Now, there were always hints that she had been human," Rowling said. "In her name — because the Naga are, in mythology, a race of snake beings. So the name was an allusion to the fact that she may herself once have been human."
• In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, Nagas are mythical beings that can choose to appear as either human or cobra.

J.K. Rowling recently gave more insight into one of the most controversial characters in the Wizarding World: Nagini, who was known only as Voldemort's snake in "Harry Potter," but appears as a woman in the prequel series, "Fantastic Beasts."

"These movies have given me the chance to tell a story that I knew all along about Nagini, who appears only as a snake in 'Potter,'" Rowling revealed in a film extra called "Credence, Nagini and the Circus Arcanus," available on the "Crimes of Grindelwald" Blu-ray.

"Now, there were always hints that she had been human," Rowling said. "In her name — because the Naga are, in mythology, a race of snake beings. So the name was an allusion to the fact that she may herself once have been human."

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a Naga or Nāga is "a member of a class of mythical semidivine beings, half human and half cobra"in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. "Nagini" is the feminine form of the Sanskrit word, sometimes used to refer to a female Naga.

"They are a strong, handsome species who can assume either wholly human or wholly serpentine form and are potentially dangerous but often beneficial to humans," the website reads.

Many fans also believe that Rowling subtly hinted at Nagini's backstory multiple times, especially by making her purposely humanlike in the original series.

Nagini was easily Voldemort's most trusted companion and was portrayed as having intelligence far greater than that of an average snake.

"I think [Voldemort] is perhaps as fond of her as he can be of anything; he certainly likes to keep her close and he seems to have an unusual amount of control over her, even for a Parselmouth,"Dumbledore tells Harry of Nagini in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

"I never wanted to give this enormous dollop of backstory, but now I can tell it, which is very satisfying — and fits perfectly into the theme of this movie," Rowling said in the film extra.

"Nagini was always once a woman in her mind, which is so deeply disturbing,"Ezra Miller, who portrays Nagini's best friend Credence Barebone, added in the clip.

The author had previously claimed that she's been sitting on the secret about Nagini's origin for 20 years.

Many fans, however, took issue with the surprise twist when it was revealed in a trailer for "Crimes of Grindelwald."

Read more:An Asian actress plays a pivotal 'Harry Potter' character in 'Fantastic Beasts' and fans are calling the casting problematic

"Listen Joanne, we get it, you didn't include enough representation when you wrote the books. But suddenly making Nagini into a Korean woman is garbage," one user wrote on Twitter.

"The Naga are snake-like mythical creatures of Indonesian mythology, hence the name 'Nagini,'"the author-turned-screenwriter replied. "They are sometimes depicted as winged, sometimes as half-human, half-snake. Indonesia comprises a few hundred ethnic groups, including Javanese, Chinese and Betawi. Have a lovely day."

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Forbes ranked "Harry Potter" author, J.K. Rowling, as the highest paid novelist in the world in 2017. She was also the third highest paid celebrity.
• Since then, she's dropped to second on Forbes' list and made $54 million in 2018. 
• J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" novels have sold at least 500 million copies worldwide and grossed $7.7 billion dollars. The "Harry Potter" movies have also grossed more than $7.7 billion.
• J.K. Rowling has been secretive about her fortune and has denied being a billionaire, there are some reasons to believe that the famous author might be a billionaire again. 
• Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: J.K. Rowling is a never-ending vault of stories, so it's no surprise that her fortune is similar. The beloved Harry Potter author has done her best to keep the details of her wealth under the invisibility cloak, but as of 2016, the New York Times estimated her net worth at $1.2 billion after taxes.

Rowling, who is known to be private when it comes to sharing financial details, has denied being a billionaire, and Forbes estimated her fortune to be around $650 million in 2017.

Since the series started in 1997, 500 million copies of Harry Potter books have been sold worldwide. The last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, broke records to become the fastest-selling fiction book of all time. By the New York Times' estimate, the Harry Potter novels have racked in at least $7.7 billion, and if J.K. Rowling took a standard authors royalty cut of 15%, she would have made at least $1.15 billion, and that's before accounting for the movie series, which have also grossed $7.7 billion, and if she received the standard 10 net percent participation, then she likely earned $770 million.

And 2017 seems to be her best year to date. 10 years after the final Harry Potter book and six years after the final film, Rowling was the highest paid novelist in the world, and Forbes ranked her as the third highest paid celebrity, earning an estimated $95 million that year. In 2018, she earned another $54 million, so it's safe to say she hasn't lost any steam.

Rowling kept her fans reading and watching with the production and script release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London and New York and the two Fantastic Beasts movies, and while the new films have grossed far less than the original series, the first Fantastic Beasts made a worldwide gross of $814 million. By Forbes' estimate, Rowling still received 10 million for the less-loved spin-off.

Her magical wizarding world has also been expanded through Universal Parks and Resorts Harry Potter attractions in Orlando, LA, and Japan. Forbes estimates Rowling's received low double-digit millions from the parks, and she's released an entirely new book series under the author name Robert Galbraith. The first three Cormoran Strike books have sold 1.2 million copies, earning $9.9 million.

Additionally, Rowling launched her self-proclaimed "digital heart of J.K. Rowling's wizarding world" website, Pottermore, in April 2012. Pottermore brought in $19 million in revenue in 2016, through multiple partnerships to sell e-books and audiobooks.

Despite her huge success, Rowling's path to a magical fortune took more than a snap of her fingers. In an interview, Rowling told Jon Stewart that she spent a few years living in the UK with government assistance as a single mother, barely avoiding homelessness. After her success, she says she's now happy to stay in the UK and pay Britain's top tax rate of 45%. Discussing taxes, Rowling said, "I'm indebted to the welfare state. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net was there to break the fall."

Taxes aren't the only way Rowling pays back. Her charitable donations over the years have reached at least $150 million. Rowling founded the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh with a $16 million contribution. The clinic's named for her mother, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and passed away before Rowling became a published author. She's founded an international children's rights organization, the Lumos Foundation, as well as the Volant Charitable Trust to alleviate social deprivation across Scotland.

But it's worth asking: how does the author treat herself?

Well, she owns homes in Edinburgh, Perthshire, and Kensington. Rowling sold her 19th century Victorian mansion in 2012 for over $3.6 million. She and her husband, Neil Murray, had two interlinked, Hogwarts-like tree houses for their children built in the yard of their Edinburgh home for about $330,000. The couple had to apply for planning permission in order to knock down a $1.3 million house next door to make room for the tree house.

And with countless movie premieres to attend, Rowling splurges on designer dresses, like this spring 2011 Oscar de la Renta gown. With a third Fantastic Beasts movie set for a 2020 release and surely more lucrative projects on the horizon, it seems J.K. Rowling and her fortune aren't going to disappear.

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• J.K. Rowling will release four new stories about "Harry Potter" lore in June.
• The series of short e-books will explore the "traditional folklore and magic at the heart of the series."
• They will focus on a variety of studies at Hogwarts: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Divination, Astronomy, and Care of Magical Creatures.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

JK Rowling is to release four brand new stories associated with the wizarding world of Harry Potter over 20 years after the first novel was published.

The series of short e-books, set to explore the "traditional folklore and magic at the heart of the series", will be released by Pottermore Publishing.

They're designed to focus on specific Hogwarts lessons, including Divination, Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts.

The first two books — "A Journey Through Charms and Defence Against the Dark Arts" and "A Journey Through Potions and Herbology"– will be released on 27 June.

"A Journey Through Divination" and "Astronomy and A Journey Through Care of Magical Creatures" are expected to follow soon after.

Since the final book was published in 2007, there's been no shortage of Potter material for fans to get stuck into.

In 2016, a two-part stage play titled "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" debuted in the West End while spin-off franchise "Fantastic Beasts" began that same year.

The "Harry Potter" film series drew to a close with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" in 2011. Earlier this year, Daniel Radcliffe revealed which of the eight films was his favourite— and it proved a controversial choice.

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Emma Watson shared a throwback photo with "Harry Potter" writer J.K. Rowling and costar Evanna Lynch to celebrate the author's 54th birthday.
• "Sexy and scary! You smashed this. All the love to you Jo. Happy Birthday!!!! Extra points to @msevylynch for being the most perfect cat," Watson captioned a photo shared on Instagram and Twitter.
• The image showed Watson dressed as Wonder Woman, Evanna Lynch wearing cat-like makeup, and Rowling opting for frightening makeup and a fake horn on the side of her head.
• Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

"Harry Potter" star Emma Watson posted a throwback photo with J.K. Rowling to celebrate the author's 54th birthday.

"Sexy and scary! You smashed this. All the love to you Jo. Happy Birthday!!!! Extra points to @msevylynch for being the most perfect cat," Watson captioned a photo shared on Instagram and Twitter.

The image showed her dressed as Wonder Woman and posing with costar Evanna Lynch, who wore a green outfit and cat-like makeup. Meanwhile, Rowling opted for a black dress, frightening makeup, and a fake horn on the side of her head.

It's unclear when the stars gathered in those costumes, but Watson previously shared a photo of herself in the superhero outfit in September 2018 to celebrate the September/October choice for her feminist book club (called Our Shared Shelf).

In response to her throwback image, Lynch wrote: "Ahhhh I didn't know this photo existed!!!!"

Read more: 18 great movies and TV shows you can watch the stars of 'Harry Potter' in right now

Watson has grown up in front of fans with her role as Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" films. The first movie was released in 2001 and the final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," hit theaters in 2011. 

Since the final movie came out, Watson has gone on to star alongside Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman in the coming-of-age movie "The Perks of Being a Wallflower,""The Bling Ring," and "Beauty and the Beast." She's also outspoken about gender equality and has given speeches in support of HeForShe, a UN Women campaign that was launched in 2014. 

Next, she'll appear as Meg in a film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women." The movie will be directed by "Lady Bird's" Greta Gerwig, with Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, and Timothée Chalamet also set to star. 

Lynch made her "Harry Potter" debut as Luna Lovegood with 2007's "Order of the Phoenix." Since "HP" came to an end, she has participated in theater productions and independent movies. The actress also competed on season 27 of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" and finished the competition in third place. 

Lynch, who has been outspoken about previously experiencing an eating disorder, also cofounded Kinder Beauty Box (a subscription service that features cruelty-free and vegan products) with "Victorious" star Daniella Monet.  She also hosts a "friendly vegan" podcast called "The ChickPeeps Podcast."

Rowling has further expanded the "Harry Potter" world thanks to the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise. The first film, led by Eddie Redmayne, was released in 2016. The sequel, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald," came out in 2018. Rowling has been hands-on with both films as a writer and a producer. Three more films are planned for the "Fantastic Beasts" franchise.

In addition, Rowling has released four books under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, as part of a crime series called "Cormoran Strike."

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• JK Rowling has donated nearly $19 million to multiple sclerosis (MS) research.
• Her investment at the University of Edinburgh will help create new facilities and fund new projects at the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, which was set up after a previous donation from Rowling in 2010.
• The building is named after her mother who died of MS at the age of 45.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

JK Rowling has donated £15.3 million ($18.9 million) to the University of Edinburgh to help improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and similar neurodegenerative diseases.

The university has announced that the investment from the "Harry Potter" author will help create new facilities and fund new research into MS and similar conditions.

Funds will be spent on building new centres at the the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, which was set up after a previous donation from Rowling in 2010.

The building is named after her mother who died of MS at the age of 45.

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Rowling said: "When the Anne Rowling Clinic was first founded, none of us could have predicted the incredible progress that would be made in the field of Regenerative Neurology, with the Clinic leading the charge.

"I am delighted to now support the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic into a new phase of discovery and achievement, as it realises its ambition to create a legacy of better outcomes for generations of people with MS and non-MS neurodegenerative diseases."

Rowling's donation is designed to help secure the aid of top researchers looking into a cure for MS.  

The University of Edinburgh set up a centre for Multiple Sclerosis Research in 2007.

Last week, Rowling fuelled speculation of a surprise "Harry Potter" sequel after tweeting a Cursed Child quote, reading: "Sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

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• Harry Potter is getting dragged into the trade war. 
• That's because its publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing, produces some of its books in China, which as of September 1 became subject to a 15% tariff from the US. 
• Nigel Newton, founder and CEO, told the Financial Times that "it may get worse before it gets better." 
• View Markets Insider's homepage for more stories.

The trade war has been raging for months now taking a massive toll on the global economy, jobs and now even Harry Potter is being affected.

That's because the Harry Potter series publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing, which publishes 50 titles in China, is taking a hit from tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on China, according to the Financial Times.

The books are part of the $300 billion worth of goods subject to a 15% tariff which came into effect September 1, the newspaper said. That means the books just became more expensive. 

"It is not a cost we anticipated, and it's one we hope to take in our stride," Newton said, according to the BBC.

The Trump administration in September slapped tariffs on Chinese goods including shoes, apparel, TVs, and video game consoles. JPMorgan said at the time that Americans could face up to $1,000 in extra costs a year.  

The Financial Times added that JK Rowling is still the publisher's biggest author in terms of sales and that a special edition of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was among the best sellers for the second half of this year.

Nigel Newton, founder and CEO of Bloomsbury, told the Financial Times that the publisher "could have done without" the tariffs, and warned that if the scheduled tariff hikes due to go in place in December go ahead, "it may get worse before it gets better." 

Bloomsbury shares fell on Tuesday after reporting lower revenue and profits in the first half.

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• JK Rowling is under fire after she defended a UK-based tax expert who made transphobic comments and was terminated from her job due to her statements.
• Rowling came to Maya Forstater's defense with a tweet saying, "Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who'll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill"
• Many have since called out Rowling for her hurtful message, saying it was transphobic and unsupported by science.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more.

JK Rowling is under fire after she defended a UK-based tax expert who made transphobic comments and was terminated from her job due to her statements.

In March 2019, Maya Forstater was fired from her job at the Centre for Global Development in the UK after she publicly said via Twitter that "men cannot change into women."

"Radically expanding the legal definition of 'women' so that it can include both males and females makes it a meaningless concept, and will undermine women's rights & protections for vulnerable women & girls," Forstater tweeted on September 2, 2018.

After her termination, Forstater sued CGD, saying the company's choice went against UK's 2010 Equality Act, which bars employers from punishing staff for their beliefs. Forstater argued that law made it a crime to fire her for her views on gender transition. 

But on Wednesday, Judge James Tayler, who presided over the case, said Forstater's view is "not a philosophical belief protected by the Equality Act" and "is not worthy of respect in a democratic society," so her firing still stands.

On Thursday, "Harry Potter" author Rowling came to Forstater's defense with a tweet saying "Dress however you please. Call yourself whatever you like. Sleep with any consenting adult who'll have you. Live your best life in peace and security. But force women out of their jobs for stating that sex is real? #IStandWithMaya #ThisIsNotADrill"

Many have since called out Rowling for her hurtful message, saying it was transphobic and factually incorrect.

Critics say Rowling's comments invalidate and disrespect transgender people

Soon after Rowling published her tweet in support of Forstater, people began criticizing the author, who's been in a similar place before. In March 2018, she liked a tweet that referred to trans women as "men in dress," Them previously reported.

And, in 2017, Rowling liked another tweet that promoted a transphobic Medium article.

GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, tweeted a response to Rowling, saying her comments deny "the basic humanity of people who are transgender. Trans and non-binary people are not a threat to women, and to imply otherwise puts trans people at risk."

Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization, also published a tweet in response to Rowling's:

Still, some continued to defend Rowling for her stance, saying it aligned with science and that there are only two biological sexes.

In response, HRC employee Charlotte Clymer posted a Twitter thread to explain that many scientific experts and organizations recognize transgender people as valid in the sex with which they identify and that science doesn't support a biological sex binary, or the idea that just "male" and "female" sexes exist.

"If you truly respect science, you respect trans people," Clymer wrote.

JK Rowling's representatives told Insider she and her team will not be commenting on this issue.

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• JK Rowling asked Twitter to explain bitcoin to her, and was bombarded by replies — including from Elon Musk.
• Rowling ultimately gave up engaging with the topic, a decision Musk supported.
• In the process, he took a swipe at conventional central banks, which he said had undermined their credibility and made even bitcoin "look solid by comparison."
• Banks like the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank have pumped trillions of dollars into the global economy via quantitative easing programs.
• Many of these have been expanded in an attempt to mitigate the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Elon Musk intervened in a Twitter thread to attempt to explain bitcoin to J.K. Rowling, and ended up attacking central banks whom he said made the cryptocurrency "look solid by comparison."

Musk chimed in after Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter novels, was bombarded by replies after tweeting: "I don't understand bitcoin. Please explain it to me."

Bitcoin advocates and skeptics then rushed to explain the cryptocurrency — a financial asset which exists solely in digital form.

Unlike traditional currencies, it is not tied to a central bank controlled by a government, and instead is regulated by complicated mathematics and a public log — called a blockchain — of all transactions.

Its value has ballooned since its creation. According to Markets Insider data, a single Bitcoin was worth almost $20,000 in December 2017. Its price at the time of writing was around $9,410.

Despite lofty predictions by its advocates, it has not found widespread use.

Rowling eventually gave up trying to understand bitcoin, posting a tweet that implied that she was no longer interested.

Musk responded essentially agreeing with her, but taking a swipe at the behavior of traditional central bankers in the process.

Musk said that central banks — like the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England — made bitcoin "look solid by comparison" because of their recent behavior.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, banks embarked on a huge program of "quantitative easing"— essentially pumping vast sums into the economy — to prevent the collapse of the economy.

It also left interest rates at historic lows and, critics say, has distorted financial markets in ways we are yet to understand fully.

Many banks have renewed their easing programs in light of the coronavirus pandemic. A report in late April by Fitch Ratings said that central banks around the world had already committed to $6 trillion worth of easing programs.

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• J.K. Rowling's net worth has been estimated to range from $650 million to $1.2 billion.
• The Harry Potter creator, who was on welfare while writing the first Harry Potter book, has put much of her fortune into UK real estate, taxes, and charity.
• In recent years, she's stirred controversy and lost fans over her comments about trans people.

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

J.K. Rowling's fortune is as vast as the Harry Potter empire she created.

It's unknown whether the second-highest paid author in the world is a mega-millionaire or billionaire, but the entire Harry Potter franchise — spanning books, movies, theme parks, and more — has spun some big bucks.

A 2016 New York Times estimate put her net worth at $1.2 billion after taxes, but she dropped off the Forbes Billionaires List in 2012. Forbes estimated her net worth at $650 million in 2017. More recent reputable estimates of Rowling's net worth aren't publicly available.

A media spokesperson for Rowling declined to comment on figures surrounding her net worth.

Rowling has splurged on real estate, building a portfolio of homes across England and Scotland. But Rowling puts much of her fortune to taxes, opting to pay Britain's highest tax rate — she has previously said she feels indebted to the system because she was on welfare when writing the first Harry Potter book. She has also donated millions to various charities.

However, Rowling has stirred controversy in recent years for her comments about the trans community. She recently published an essay on the topic that was deemed "transphobic," and it's causing her to lose Harry Potter fans.

Here's a look at Rowling's rags-to-riches story and how she spends her fortune.

SEE ALSO: How J.K. Rowling went from struggling single mom to the world's most successful author

DON'T MISS: J.K. Rowling may have created a fictional world where anything was possible, but her reality is a lot less magical

J.K. Rowling sits on a hefty fortune thanks to her Harry Potter empire, but it's unclear whether she's a mega-millionaire or billionaire.

The New York Times estimated Rowling's net worth to be $1.2 billion after taxes in 2016, but Forbes booted her off its Billionaires List in 2012. Forbes pegged her fortune to be around $650 million as of 2017.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider, The New York Times

Rowling has been secretive about her fortune and has denied being a billionaire. But the number of zeroes to her net worth doesn't change her rags-to-riches story.

Source: Business Insider

Rowling grew up in Gloucester, England, born to an aircraft engineer and high school technician. She described her teen years as difficult and later studied French at the University of Exeter.

Source: Insider

After graduating in 1986, she did translation work at Amnesty International. Four years later, she famously came up with the idea for Harry Potter on a train ride.

Source: Insider

She wrote the book while living in Porto, Portugal, and then Edinburgh, where she lived in a small flat. At the time, Rowling was a single parent and living on government welfare.

Source: Insider

"I couldn't have written this book if I hadn't had a few years where I'd been really as poor as it's possible to go in the UK without being homeless," Rowling said in 2012.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

She finished writing 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' in 1995, but the book was initially rejected many times. Christopher Little, the literary agent who finally accepted her book, made a deal to print 500 copies with Bloomsbury for a meager a £2,500 ($3,141) advance in 1997. It sold 300,000 copies in the UK by 1999.

Source: Insider, The New Yorker

In the US, Rowling sold the book to Scholastic for more than $100,000 — an unprecedented amount at the time. She then bought her own apartment.

Source: Insider

Since the Harry Potter series launched, 500 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' broke records for the fastest-selling fiction book of all time.

Source: Business Insider

By The New York Times' estimate, the novels have raked in at least $7.7 billion. If Rowling took a standard author's royalty cut of 15%, she would have made at least $1.15 billion.

Source: Business Insider, The New York Times

Book sales continue to do well to this day — all seven Harry Potter novels top the list of the most read fiction e-books on Amazon as of the second week of June.

Source: Amazon

In 1998, Rowling announced that she signed a seven-figure deal with Warner Bros. to adapt the books into movies. The first movie has grossed nearly $1 billion worldwide to date.

Source: Business Insider, The New York Times, Box Office Mojo

The Harry Potter movies have collectively grossed more than $7.7 billion. If Rowling received the standard 10% of net profit participation deal, then she likely earned $770 million.

Source: Business Insider, The New York Times

In 2016, the first film of the five-part Harry Potter spinoff movie series Fantastic Beasts hit screens. It grossed $814 million worldwide. By Forbes' estimate, Rowling still received $10 million for it.

Source: Business Insider

The entire Harry Potter movie series is the third highest-grossing film franchise of all time, raking in nearly $9.1 billion as of 2019.

Source: Mental Floss

But Rowling's biggest cash cow is Universal Studios' Wizarding World attractions, which first opened in 2010. Forbes estimated she's received low double-digit millions from the parks.

Source: Forbes, Business Insider

And in 2012, she launched Harry Potter website Pottermore. It brought in $19 million in revenue in 2016 through multiple partnerships to sell e-books and audiobooks.

Source: Business Insider

The same year, the 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' play hit Broadway. It earned $2.3 million in ticket sales in a single week — the highest of any non-musical in Broadway's history.

Source: Forbes

After the Harry Potter book series ended in 2007, Rowling began penning new novels. 'The Casual Vacancy' sold 375,000 copies in the first six days. It was later adapted into a miniseries for HBO.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

She also released a new book series under the pen name Robert Galbraith. The first three Cormoran Strike books have sold 1.2 million copies, earning $9.9 million. The books are being adapted into a miniseries for BBC.

Source: Business Insider

Forbes reports that Rowling earned $60 million from June 2019 through May 2020, making her the second highest-paid author in the world during that period. Here's how she spends her fortune.

Source: Forbes

Rowling has spent a chunk of her fortune buying up homes across Scotland and England with her husband, Neil Murray.

Source: Business Insider

Rowling's main residence is in Edinburgh. She reportedly sold her eight-bedroom, 19th-century Victorian mansion there in 2012 for over $3.6 million.

Source: Business Insider, People

The couple moved to another Edinburgh neighborhood in 2009. The newer home has been described as a "multimillion-pound 17th-century mansion" surrounded by 30-foot tall hedges.

Source: BBC, Edinburgh Live

The home has two interlinked, Hogwarts-like tree houses built for about $330,000 for their children. Rowling had to apply for planning permission in order to knock down a $1.3 million house next door to make room for the tree houses.

Source: Business Insider

In Scotland, Rowling also owns a 162-acre, $2.5 million Perthshire estate. It has a library, seven bedrooms, drawing room, swimming pool covered with copper domes, and 24/7 security guards.

Source: The Daily Mail

She later installed four-foot high security gates and commissioned renovations for the home in 2020. That includes converting the drawing room to a bathroom and getting a new kitchen.

Source: The Daily Mail

In England, she owns a six-bedroom home in Kensington, London. She bought it in 2000 for a reported $5.6 million.

Source: The Irish Times

In 2011, she quietly bought back her childhood home — located in Tutshill, Gloucestershire, England, near the Forest of Dean — for $499,554. The Church Cottage inspired multiple elements in Harry Potter and is currently undergoing renovations.

Source: House Beautiful, Insider

But property isn't the only thing Rowling spends her money on. In the mid-2010s, she purchased a 56-foot luxury yacht for $29 million. It was previously owned by Johnny Depp.

Source: CN Traveler, Architectural Digest

The boat has three decks and four bedrooms. In 2016, she put it up for rent for $130,000 a week and for sale at $20 million.

Source: CN Traveler, Architectural Digest

Rowling also knows how to holiday. She has been spotted cruising around the Galapagos, visiting Mauritius, and staying in the Seychelles.

Source: The Daily Mail

She was also once spotted summering in the Hamptons. According to NY Mag, she was willing to pay as much as $500,000 for a house there in July and August of 2006.

Source: New York Magazine

And with countless movie premieres under her belt, Rowling has donned her share of designer dresses, like this 2011 Oscar de la Renta gown.

Source: Business Insider

But for all these splurges, Rowling reportedly opts for a less splashy, more anonymous car over a luxury one.

Source: The Daily Mail

One reason Rowling may not be a billionaire anymore is because she pays Britain's top tax rate of 45%. Rowling has previously said, "I'm indebted to the welfare state. When my life hit rock bottom, that safety net was there to break the fall."

Source: Business Insider

She's known for her leftist political views, generally supporting Britain's Labour Party. She donated $1.25 million to the party in 2008. She's not supportive of Jeremy Corbyn, the party's current leader.

Source: Insider

Rowling has also made many charitable donations over the years, totaling at least $150 million.

Source: Business Insider

She founded the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic at the University of Edinburgh in honor of her mother, who passed away when Rowling was 25, with a $16 million contribution.

Source: Business Insider, Insider

She also founded the Lumos Foundation, an international children's rights organization; the Volant Charitable Trust, which works to alleviate social deprivation across Scotland; and Comic Relief, an anti-poverty charity.

Source: Business Insider

She also wrote and auctioned off a prequel short story from the Harry Potter universe, about James Potter and Sirius Black escaping a few muggle cops.

Source: Insider

More recently, she donated $1.25 million to homeless and domestic violence victims during the pandemic.

Source: Forbes

She also began publishing installments of a new story, 'The Ickabog,' for free on her website for parents and children.

Source: The Ickabog

Rowling has long seemed to be a force for progressive good, but has stirred controversy for her comments about trans people in the past few years.

Source: Insider

In June 2020, this came to a head when she posted a series of tweets arguing that: "If sex isn't real, the lived reality of women globally is erased." She followed it up with an essay many readers deemed "transphobic."

Source: Insider

She received a lot of backlash online. A media spokesperson for Rowling told Business Insider that the author "has received overwhelming support in correspondence coming into her office since her piece was published."

Source: Insider

Her comments have ruined Harry Potter for many fans, some of whom are even having their Harry Potter tattoos removed in response. While the series "is simply too gargantuan for its legacy to ever be truly tarnished by this controversy, the series is permanently stained for some," Insider's Jacob Sarkisian recently wrote.

Source: Insider, Insider

• Interest in author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series has reportedly grown in North Korean, according a state-run newspaper there.
• The series shows kids how to "develop their future by revealing their personal strengths and skills," a North Korean newspaper claimed.
• The success of "Harry Potter" in North Korea was attributed to its worldwide translation and its popularity among kids and adults, South Korean news agency Yonhap News said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

North Korean interest in author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series has grown, according a state-run newspaper in the country.

"The Literature Newspaper," a North Korean outlet covering written works, said on Saturday that the success of "Harry Potter" was attributed to its worldwide translation and its popularity among both kids and adults, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap News.

The series shows kids how to "develop their future by revealing their personal strengths and skills," while its images of sorcery and magic take place in a fantasy world, the North Korean outlet reportedly said.

The newspaper briefly summarized the series and added that it elevated the foreign fantasy literature genre to a "new stage."

Although the North Korean regime officially heavily regulates international content and bans foreign entertainment such as movies and music, citizens from different socio-economic backgrounds are able to acquire that media by other channels.

USB thumb drives containing movies are smuggled into North Korea through China. A survey of 350 North Korean defectors, refugees, and travelers found that over 90% had seen foreign media on a DVD player.

Meanwhile, more than 43% of North Koreans, around 11 million people, are malnourished, according to a 2019 UN report. North Korea, subject to heavy sanctions, frequently diverts humanitarian aid and domestic funds to its elite class and to defense projects.

UN officials said that one in five North Korean children are "stunted due to chronic undernutrition." About 3% of children under 5 years old, or 140,000 kids, suffer from what the UN described as "wasting or acute malnutrition."

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Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury posted its highest first-half earnings since 2008 on Tuesday, and said the public had "rediscovered the pleasure of reading" during lockdown.

Bloomsbury credited its performance to the success of bestsellers including Reni Eddo-Lodge's "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race," Sarah J. Maas' "Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood," and Kiley Reid's "Such A Fun Age."

But revenues were also propped up by books on its backlist, the UK company said. Harry Potter sales were "robust," Bloombury said, and rose by 8% between mid-July and the end of September, according to Nielsen Bookscan.

The paperback edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" was the fifth-bestselling children's book of 2020 to date, 23 years after it was first published, it added.

Nigel Newton, founder and chief executive of Bloomsbury, told the BBC that there had been "a real uptake in reading" during lockdown, and that people were perhaps "tired of watching streamed movies which they binged on to begin with."

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Sales of titles by young adult fantasy author Maas increased by 131% in the half, it said, driven by the success of "Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood." Bloombury is publishing her next title, "A Court of Silver Flames," in February 2021.

Sales of both adult and childrens' books grew by roughly equal amounts, it added. Cook books sold well as more people cooked at home, and sales of wildlife books also rose.

Eddo-Lodge's "Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race" was the number one paperback Sunday Times bestseller for seven weeks.

Sales of both e-books and physical books ordered online were significantly higher, the company said.

Total pre-profits in the six months to August were up 60% year-on-year to £4.0 million ($3.9 million), and revenues rose 10% to £78.3 million ($102.0 million).

The company is "confident about the future of publishing," but warned "the short-term is difficult to predict because of the pandemic."

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