Praskovya Alexandrovna Hendrikova
Countess Praskovya Alexandrovna Hendrikova (née Princess Khilkova; – ) was a Lady-in-waiting to Empress Maria Feodorovna, a favorite of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, the sister of military general Prince Stepan Khilkov, and head of the Elizabethan Institute Lyubov Bezobrazova. Biography Hendrikova was born to Prince Alexander Yakovlevich Khilkov (1755–1819) and his second wife, Baroness Feodosia Ivanovna Mestmakher. She was born in St. Petersburg, and baptized on June 29, 1802 in the Simeonov Church in the presence of her maternal grandfather, Baron Ivan Ivanovich Mestmakher, who at the time was the Russian ambassador to Dresden, and Princess Maria Khilkova. She was educated at the Catherine Institute, from which she graduated in 1820 with a large gold cipher. Empress Maria Feodorovna spoke about her to the entire institute “Donnez plus souvent des Paulette Hilkoff” (Take an example from Paulette Khilkova). Relationship with Grand Duke Mikhail At the end of her studies, she was appointed Lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court, where she soon became a universal favorite. She danced and sang beautifully at musical evenings. Vasily Zhukovsky was fond her, as can be seen from the entries in his diary, he dedicated poems to her "Is it a sin for you,