J.K. Rowling has turned down a Damehood

Replying to a fan on X who was calling for her to be made a Dame, she said: "I really, truly appreciate the sentiment but in fact I've already turned down both a damehood and a peerage."

The celebrated writer - whose magical creation spawned seven books, eight movies, a theme park, and a stage play - insisted that she had turned the honours down for "personal reasons" but remained grateful for the fan's suggestion.

She added: "This is for entirely personal reasons, ie, I've never wanted a title.

"Thank you, though."

Rowling - who also writes under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith - recently revealed that she struggled to call herself a "real writer", even after her debut 'Harry Potter' novel was published in 1997.

Asked when she realised it was a hit, she told The Sunday Times: "It's all a bit of a blur, to be honest. Winning the Smarties Book Prize (in 1997) was a massive moment, and then I got a record advance from America, and everything went crazy.

"I was overjoyed [when I made the bestsellers list] because it felt like something that happened to real writers.

"I can't overstate how timid I was about calling myself a writer. Even after I was published, I hesitated to say it out loud because I'd wanted it for so long and didn't want to jinx myself."