ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: What does it take to become Britain's richest woman? You might think having a crown, a scepter, a gaggle of corgis around you might help. But you would actually be wrong, because having a bit of a spunk and mind creative enough to come up with the magic of Harry potter and the muggles is all you need. Here's Sasha Harriman.</s>SASHA HARRIMAN, ITV CORRESPONDENT: Appearances can be deceiving. The adoring fans, smart homes. In fact, the monarch is doing quite nicely with a fortune of 250 million. But when it comes to personal wealth, she simply is not in the running. She may be hoping to learn a thing or two. According to the "Sunday Times" rich list, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, now earns more than her. As Britain's wealthiest self-made woman, her books have made her the sum of 280 million. Not bad for a children's writer who started out as a single mom on state benefits.</s>ROBERT LACEY, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: The lesson does seem to be that if you want to be rich, you've really got to work. And although the queen works as a civil servant, and servant of the public, that actually doesn't seem to make her as much money as we all thought.</s>HARRIMAN: In fact, the annual survey found the fortunes of quite a few of Britain's wealthiest have taken the plunge because of the economic downturn. The failing stock markets have wiped almost four billion off the worth of the country's top 1,000 earners. But there is no need for undue sympathy, times may be hard, but for the third year running, the country's richest man by far is the duke of Westminster, with a cool 4.8 billion. Sasha Harriman, ITV News.
J.K. Rowling Earns More Than Queen of England