J.K. Rowling received an OBE in the United Kingdom in 2001.
Rowling was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, abbreviated OBE, in the 2001 Queen’s Birthday Honours. The honour recognized her services to children’s literature.
The Order of the British Empire has several ranks, including MBE, OBE, and CBE. An OBE is a higher grade than an MBE but lower than a CBE, which is why these abbreviations are sometimes mixed up.
Rowling has received many other literary and civic honours, but the 2001 OBE is the specific British honour associated with this appointment. It came during the period when the Harry Potter books were rapidly expanding from a successful children’s series into a global cultural phenomenon.