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Earl Charles Spencer has taken to social media to reflect on the beginning of his broadcasting career following the death of a former colleague.

Princess Diana's brother began as a journalist and broadcaster at NBC in 1986, marking his 40th anniversary in the industry this summer.

The 62-year-old Earl reminisced: "I was - to my huge relief and delight - offered a full-time role by Steve Friedman, the executive producer, at a party to mark the end of that month of work in the UK."

After confirming that Mr Friedman was "sure", Earl Spencer revealed that he "found a napkin, and wrote out a very basic contract on it and asked him to sign it".

He continued: "Six weeks later I turned up in his office in Rockefeller Plaza, NYC, and produced the napkin. He laughed, honoured it, and we went from there."

The Instagram post was accompanied by a picture of his former colleagues - a few of whom "remain friends today," he said.

"Over the next decade, I worked with most of this very fine group of journalists, around the world. A lot of hard work and hard laughter."

However, the Earl tragically explained: "One sadly died on Sunday, which made me think about this era, and these colleagues."

Earl Spencer worked at NBC until 1995. He also worked as a reporter for Granada Television from 1991 to 1993.

It comes hours after the Earl posted a similarly poignant tribute to his youth in Northamptonshire.

Uploaded to his Instagram story was an old photo of swans swimming in the lake of his family's historic 13,000-acre Althorp Estate - which is home to Diana's final resting place.

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The picture was dated 1997 - the year of his younger sister's death - and played Austin Farwell's song Ripples in Time in the background.

Earl Spencer revealed last month that he had introduced four new black swans to the estate's Round Oval Lake.

"These were a favourite breed in childhood - so exotic (they are Australian), and gorgeous," he wrote.

The Earl added that he was "pleased to report that they’ve settled in very happily."

Earl Spencer married his archaeologist partner Professor Cat Jarman in a private ceremony held in Arizona earlier this year.

The 62-year-old Earl wed the Norwegian academic just three months after his divorce from third wife Karen was officially concluded in February.

Instagram posts show that the Earl took his wife to the grave of his brother, John Spencer, who died just after birth on January 12th 1960, last month.