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Who is J.K. Rowling’s long-time, low-key doctor husband, Neil Murray? The Harry Potter author met her then future Scottish partner through a friend of her sister – and they have 2 kids together

J.K. Rowling and her husband Neil Murray arrive at Harry Potter and The Cursed Child parts 1 and 2 on Broadway opening night at The Lyric Theatre in April 2018, in New York City. Photo: FilmMagic
J.K. Rowling is best known for creating the immensely popular Harry Potter series, but nowadays she often attracts attention for her controversial transphobic remarks.
J.K. Rowling at the world premiere of the film Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in Paris, in November 2018. Photo: AP Photo

Most recently, she took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to call out Sky News for not highlighting that a convicted murderer was transgender. The news outlet described her as a “woman” in a post on X and mentioned her transgender status further down in its linked article.

“I’m so sick of this s***. This is not a woman,” Rowling claimed. “These are #NotOurCrimes.”

While some netizens have criticised her for the statements, others have agreed that her point is valid.

Author of the Harry Potter books J.K. Rowling and her husband Neil Murray at the UK premiere of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in London, in 2004. Photo: AP Photo

Her comment comes after she made a rare appearance at a Six Nations rugby game in Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband Neil Murray over the weekend. Murray, a Scottish doctor, donned a kilt while watching the match.

Rowling has been married to her husband since 2001 – and they’ve been together through thick and thin.

Here’s what we know about Neil Murray, J.K. Rowling’s long-time husband.

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Neil Murray is a Scottish doctor

Neil Murray, the husband of author J.K. Rowling. Photo: PA Images via Getty Images

Not much is actually known about Murray’s career, besides the fact that he’s a doctor, according to multiple sources.

The couple also has a six-year age gap – Rowling is 58 and Murray is 52 – and reportedly met through a friend of Rowling’s sister.

English-born Rowling has lived in the Scottish capital since the early 1990s, per British media.

He got married to J.K. Rowling “in secret”

Author J.K. Rowling (right) and partner Neil Murray arrive at the world film premiere of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone screened at the Odeon Cinema in London’s Leicester Square, in 2001. Photo: AP Photo

According to The Guardian, the lovebirds tied the knot at her mansion in secret on Boxing Day back in 2001. The same report states that only 15 close friends and relatives – including Rowling’s sister Dianne, Rowling’s daughter Jessica from her first marriage, Murray’s sister Lorna – were invited to the ultra-private ceremony.

The article adds that the award-winning author initially had plans to wed while on holiday in the Galapagos Islands, but scrapped the idea after the press found out about the impending nuptials.

They have a loving relationship

J. K. Rowling and Neil Murray attending the after show party for the EE British Academy Film Awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel in central London. Photo: PA Images via Getty Images

With the couple being married for over 20 years, many fans have wanted more glimpses into their long-time, healthy relationship – especially considering the amount of media attention that has surrounded their romance.

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Rowling shared a rare anecdote about her marriage on the “Tracks of My Years” segment on Ken Bruce’s Radio 2 show: “Well, I think of all the love songs written, this might be my favourite,” she said, referring to Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”. “It’s such a beautiful, simple sentiment, but I have an additional reason for choosing it.”

The author noted, “I was playing it in the kitchen while cooking something. [Murray] walked in, he said, ‘This always makes me think of you when you’re down in London [for work],’ and that was a very moving marital moment. So now it has an extra layer of meaning for me.”

Did J.K. Rowling have kids with Neil Murray?

Harry Potter author J. K. Rowling and her partner Neil Murray in London, in 2001. Photo: AP Photo

Rowling has two kids with Murray. They had their first kid together, David Gordon Rowling Murray, in 2003, and he’s now 20. Their second kid, Mackenzie Jean Rowling Murray, is now 19.

Rowling shares her 30-year-old daughter Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes with her first husband, Jorge Arantes.

What happened to J.K. Rowling’s ex-husband?

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter children’s book series, in December 2019, in New York. Photo: Pacific Press/Zuma Press/TNS

Rowling was working as an English teacher in Porto, Portugal when she met her then future first husband Jorge Arantes, states The Standard. Unfortunately, they went on to have a troubled relationship, with Rowling speaking up about Arantes’ domestic abuse and claiming that he tried to hide the then unpublished manuscript of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in an attempt to stop her from leaving him, per the same source. After separating for two years, they eventually finalised their divorce in 1995.

  • Rowling was spotted making a rare appearance at a Six Nations rugby game in Edinburgh, Scotland with her husband Neil Murray over the weekend – the Scottish doctor donned a kilt for the match
  • The Harry Potter author and her partner have a six-year age gap, with Rowling being the older one at 58, and Murray being 52, and they reportedly met through a friend of Rowling’s sister