Royal Mail is currently owned by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group, which acquired its parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS), in a £3.6 billion deal approved in 2024 and completed in 2025. The UK government, however, still holds a special “golden share” that lets it veto key changes such as moving Royal Mail’s headquarters or altering certain core obligations, so the state retains limited strategic control even though the company is privately owned.