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Sorry did not seem to be the hardest word at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards today as Rupert Murdoch gave a humble show during his final day of grilling.

The media tycoon said "sorry" 17 times over three hours of testimony - an average of once every 10 minutes. He also used the term "apologise" five times and "regret" three times.

The 81-year-old told the court that he feels responsible for the hacking scandal at the News of the World (NotW), saying it was a "serious blot" on his reputation.

His main request for forgiveness was to the people affected by the scandal, especially the innocent staff at the defunct tabloid, which closed last July at the height of the saga.

"All I can do is apologise to a lot of people, including all the innocent people in the News of the World who lost their jobs," he said with a soft voice.

However later during his testimony, he said he should have closed the paper sooner.

"I'm sorry I didn't close it years before and put a Sunday Sun in," said News Corp's chairman and chief executive.

Mr Murdoch was also remorseful when he told the inquiry that News International bosses fell victim to a "cover-up" over the hacking scandal.

His woeful performance continued when he told Lord Justice Leveson that he "failed" because some of his titles are "closer to my heart" than others.

However, some of his apologies were not so sincere. He asked for forgiveness twice after making quips at counsel to the inquiry, Robert Jay QC.

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Murdoch tells Leveson Inquiry he is 'sorry'