Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret for referring to President Obama

Elton John put it simply in 1976: “Sorry seems to be the hardest word to say.”

And it's still true today.

But while many of us can apologize behind closed doors, sometimes world leaders have to own up and take the blame for their words or actions as millions watch.

Most recently, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret for referring to President Obama as a "son of a bitch" and said his nation seeks closer ties with the United States.

While he never exactly said the magic word, the de facto apology came Tuesday, a day after Duterte made the remakes and after Obama canceled a scheduled meeting.

Duterte isn’t the only world leader to express remorse over inflammatory words or actions.

Here’s a list of other epic apologies:

Former president Bill Clinton 'regrets' affair: 

On Aug. 17, 1998, during a White House address to the nation, Clinton fessed up to having a sexual relationship with his intern Monica Lewinsky.

“I misled people, including even my wife. I deeply regret that,” Clinton said in the address, following in a long line of those with “regrets,” but not necessarily “sorry” in their “apology” addresses.

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara 'sorry' for errors in Vietnam War planning:

Robert McNamara served as Secretary of Defense for John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, and is credited with playing an instrumental role in the Vietnam War.

While McNamara, who died in July 2009 at age 93, never formally apologized, he did acknowledge regret over his role in the war.

He said he was “very sorry” for making errors in “the process of accomplishing things,” in Oscar-winning documentary Fog of War.

Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair 'sorry' for Iraq War 'mistakes': 

In October 2015, Britain's former Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized for "mistakes" made in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Blair also said there are "elements of truth" in claims that the invasion was the main cause of the rise of the Islamic State group, in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria.

Blair told CNN in 2015: "I can say that I apologize for the fact that the intelligence we received was wrong because, even though he (Saddam) had used chemical weapons extensively against his own people, against others, the program in the form that we thought it was did not exist in the way that we thought."

Former President Ronald Reagan has 'regret' over Iran dealings:

In January 1987, during a State of the Union broadcast President Reagan admitted that "serious mistakes were made" in dealings with Iran in an attempt to guarantee the release of seven American hostages held in Lebanon.

The government sold weapons to Iran, though the president never mentioned the exchange of weapons.

While Reagan never explicitly apologized, he did acknowledge "regret," over the incident.

France's Ecology Minister Segolene Royal 'sorry' over Nutella comments: 

In June of 2015, Royal said on French television that people should avoid eating Nutella because it is made with palm oil, DW reported. 

Royal noted the palm oil plantations lead to deforestation and contribute to climate change. After her comments, many expressed outrage and the makers of Italian manufacturers of Nutella noted that their products were created with palm oil from sustainable plantations.

Italian politicians called on Royal to apologize and she eventually did.

"A thousand apologies for the row over Nutella," Royal said on Twitter. "Okay to showcase progress."