File photograph shows British writer JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of books, posing during the launch of the new online website Pottermore in London
File photograph shows British writer JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series of books, posing during the launch of the new online website Pottermore in London June 23, 2011. Britain's best-selling author, "Harry Potter" creator JK Rowling, has donated 1 million pounds ($1.68 million) to the campaign against Scottish independence, saying on Wednesday she believed Scotland was better off staying in the United Kingdom. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett/Files

JK Rowling donated £1 million to Scotland's anti-independence campaign. The author who earned millions for her Harry Potter series warned that it would be a "historically bad mistake" if Scotland decided to leave the UK.

According to The Guardian, Rowling said that she considered Scotland to be an "exceptional" nation. However, she was convinced that it would suffer heavily on the economic level if it decided to get independent from the UK. It would also damage funding for the world-class medical research Rowling had supported with several millions after her mother had died from multiple sclerosis.

Rowling's donation, announced on Tuesday, June 10, happens to be the biggest one yet in support of the "Better Together" campaign. The campaign, which is run by Rowling's former neighbour and friend Alistair Darling, reached 100 days. The referendum is going to be held in September 2014.

Rowling wrote a long article on her Web site to explain why she made the donation. She argued that Scotland had benefited from being together in the UK. "My hesitance at embracing independence has nothing to do with lack of belief in Scotland's remarkable people or its achievements. The simple truth is that Scotland is subject to the same twenty-first century pressures as the rest of the world. It must compete in the same global markets, defend itself from the same threats and navigate what still feels like a fragile economic recovery," she wrote.

The donation does not come as a surprise but the amount does. Senior figures of the campaign seemed to be delighted about the donation which has apparently come at the perfect time. The "No" campaign came into further prominence after U.S. President Barack Obama, famous for his "Yes" campaign during the elections, gave a hint that he would prefer Scotland not to leave the UK.

Rowling, meanwhile, seemed worried about the independence of Scotland. "The more I have read from a variety of independent and unbiased sources, the more I have come to the conclusion that while independence might give us opportunities - any change brings opportunities - it also carries serious risks," she wrote.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au