Queen Camilla posed with Rowling in a social media post that drew intense pushback online. “During Pride month, is a statement,” one wrote.

Royal Family courts backlash for hosting transphobic *Harry Potter *author J.K. Rowling: ‘Deeply disappointed’

Queen Camilla posed with Rowling in a social media post that drew intense pushback online. "During Pride month, is a statement," one wrote.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 30, 2026 3:14 p.m. ET

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J.K. Rowling with Queen Camilla. Credit:

Jane Barlow - WPA Pool/Getty

- The British Royal Family courted backlash after Queen Camilla hosted J.K. Rowling.

- Rowling, who wrote the* Harry Potter* book series, has long spoken out against transgender issues.

- Commenters noted that the Royal Family's post came on the last day of LGBTQ Pride month.

The British Royal Family has courted backlash after its social media account shared a photo of Queen Camilla hosting *Harry Potter* writer J.K. Rowling — whom has long spoke out against transgender issues — on the last day of LGBTQ Pride month.

Hours after the Royal Family's Instagram posted an image of Queen Camilla with Rowling during their meeting this week at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, scores of commenters replied to the image criticizing the move.

The meeting was one the Royal Family conducted "with a shared passion for books and a deep commitment to children reading for pleasure" between Queen Camilla and Rowling, the post said. "Her Majesty and Ms Rowling discussed the importance of ensuring that young people have access to books and the vital part reading plays in opening doors for future generations."

One commenter replied with a series of transgender flag emojis while asking: "All young people? Or only some young people?"

J.K. Rowling in June 2025.

Chris Jackson/Getty

*RuPaul's Drag Race* star Elliott With 2 Ts also commented with a series of trans flags emojis, as did another person in the replies section.

"There's a lot of other children's authors (who have published kids books more recently than 20 years ago) that you could have worked with on this," the commenter wrote. Another added, "During Pride month, is a statement."

One user said they were "deeply disappointed" in Queen Camilla "giving a platform to JKR, any month but especially during Pride Month. There are many other admirable individuals to spotlight who champion reading for children and young people."

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Several people additionally wrote some variation of "trans rights are human rights" underneath the photo, though others spoke in support of Rowling's past stances on transgender issues.

"If anyone deserves a DBE it’s Jo Rowling," a user replied. "She encouraged a whole new generation of children to read again, and she is such a supporters of women’s rights."

** has reached out to representatives for Rowling and the Royal Family for a response.**

In recent years, Rowling has largely drawn criticism over her anti-trans rhetoric, including publicly supporting a push to define womanhood by biological sex in the United Kingdom — which was eventually supported by the U.K. Supreme Court in April 2025, which ruled that transgender women would be barred from adopting the legal definition of a woman under the nation's Equality Act.

J.K. Rowling at 'Fantastic Beasts' premiere.

Stuart C. Wilson/Getty

Fans aren't the only ones to have slammed Rowling for her views in the past. Actor Pedro Pascal, whose sister, Lux, is trans, lashed out at Rowling in a *Vanity Fair* cover story, saying, "Listen, I want to protect the people I love. But it goes beyond that. Bullies make me f‑‑‑ing sick."

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Stars from Rowling's *Harry Potter* feature films have also criticized her stances, including Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe.

“It makes me really sad, ultimately,” Radcliffe told the *Atlantic*, noting that he hasn't directly contacted Rowling amid her anti-transgender rants that have bubbled up over the years. “I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote, and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic."

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