the sister of the lady in waiting Princess Darya Petrovna Saltykova. Natalya went with the family to London, her father's new posting as ambassador to the Kingdom of Great Britain, and received an excellent education, eventually being able to speak five languages. The Chernyshyovs were recalled to Russia in 1756, spending four years in the country before her father's appointment in 1760 as ambassador to the court of Louis XV of France. Upon the Chernyshyovs' return to Russia in 1762, Natalya and her sister Darya became known as two of the most learned women in Russia. In 1762 she was appointed maid of honour to Empress Catherine the Great, and was awarded a unique gold medal with Catherine's portrait by the empress for her dance in the "Court Carousel" of 1766. In October 1766 she married the 35-year-old Prince Vladimir Borisovich Golitsyn, in a wedding attended by the Empress herself, who decorated the Princess's hair with diamonds and accompanied her to the church. The early years of her marriage were spent setting her husband's estates in order. The Golitsyns had very extensive households and landholdings, but they were in some disarray. Natalya Petrovna, by travelling from estate to estate, was able to put the estates in order, while also significantly increasing their income. As one of their contemporaries recorded: "Golitsyn was a rich landowner, but a simple-minded person. His wife easily got the better of him, putting him in the rank of a lowly brigadier, and reorganised the estates. Natalya Petrovna, a clever woman by nature and a great organiser, arranged things, taking management of the estates in her own hands and solely disposing affairs to increase her wealth. She kept all of her household in strict obedience; as the children grew up, they did not dare to sit in her presence." In 1782 her sons were sent to Strasbourg in the company of a valet. In June 1783 she left for France with her daughters, settling in Paris (:fr:Rue Saint-Florentin) for the children's education. She attended the court of Marie Antoinette, where she became known as the "Moscow Venus", well regarded for her dancing ability. From 1786 her sons attended the École militaire. After attending Estates General of 1789 she, her husband and their daughters visited London, where the Prince of Wales, the future King George IV, presented her with his autographed portrait. On 14 July 1789 Dmitry was