British Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken 677 flights on Queen Elizabeth II's planes since coming to power in 1997 for both official business and family holidays, official figures showed on Wednesday.
The Daily Express, highlighting that the queen used one of her own planes only seven times between March 2004 and March 2005, asked its readers if Blair thinks he's "more royal than the queen."
It rebuked Blair for enjoying the "trappings of royalty" after telling governing Labour MPs back in 1997: "You are not here to enjoy the trappings of power but to do a job and to uphold the highest standards in public life."
The Daily Express carried a picture of one of the queen's corporate-style BAE jets, which are armour plated and equipped with anti-missile devices. Inside were comfortable armchairs and thick carpets.
The cost to British taxpayers was 1.2 million pounds (1.7 million euros, 2.0 million dollars), according to the ministry of defence figures carried in most of the daily newspapers.
The Times newspaper said that Blair regularly commandeers the queen's fleet - the Royal Air Force Royal Squadron - to fly him to and from his constituency in northern England as well as Labour Party conferences.
It said 130,000 pounds of taxpayers' money was spent on a string of family holidays, including to Egypt, France, Italy and the Athens Olympics.
Blair's office told the Times that he had been willing to go on a standard commercial flight to Egypt for the Christmas 2004 holiday but had been overruled by security advisers.
The weeklong holiday included a meeting with President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and with King Abdullah of Jordan. Blair's office said he was doing nothing improper but officials conceded that the row could give new impetus to plans for a new business jet for senior ministers and the royal family, The Times said.
The Sunday Times reported last November that Finance Minister Gordon Brown was blocking efforts by Blair's office to buy the new aircraft, nicknamed "Blair Force One," for his official trips.
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