Autograph letter signed by 2nd Duke of Cambridge George dated 1894

CAMBRIDGE, Prince George, Duke of (1819-1904). Autograph letter signed, to private secretary Alfred Montgomery (1814-1896). Gloucester House, Park Lane, 4 October 1894.
 
Single sheet, folded to four pages, on printed Gloucester House, Park Lane stationery. Addressed "My dear Alfred Montgomery", with Montgomery's contemporary filing endorsement, "From His R.H.", at the head of the first page. Old folds, otherwise very good. 
 
A personal letter of condolence written following the death of Montgomery's grandson. The Duke writes of the "sad calamity" which had befallen Montgomery and his family, adding: "knowing your strong affection for your grandson, I sympathise with you in your deep grief and sorrow. May you have strength to bear up after this sad affliction." He closes, "Ever your most affectionate old friend."
 
The recipient, Alfred Montgomery (1814-1896), was private secretary to Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, before serving as Commissioner of Stamps and Taxes and later Commissioner of Inland Revenue. A well-known figure in Victorian society, Montgomery retained the letter in his own papers, identifying the sender in a contemporary endorsement as "From His R.H."