#Pernilla's acting here is excellent

[malinthebodyguard]

I know that it may not seem super realistic that the queen just accepts Wilhelm's decision at the end of ep 6. But honestly, I think Kristina had always known that Wilhelm was going to do this.

He said almost exactly the same thing in E1S2 to both her and the court:

Of course, in this scene he's angry and upset. But the fact that he's being an angry teen about it doesn't necessarily make his words untrue. Even before he's CP, Wilhelm begins the story at odds with his roles and the expectations it put on him.

She recognises, of course, that he's being an overdramatic teen. She was probably a bit more dismissive of these comments before Erik died. But after everything that happened, I don't think Kristina has that luxury. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knows that Wilhelm is hanging on by a thread. I think this is why she tries to change the dynamic with him in season 2 and tries to negotiate with him. We can probably also see that reflected through Farima in S3, who's taken over as the person who tries to both appease and direct Wilhelm.

But in the car scene, Wilhelm no longer seems like an emotional teenager, being carried away by his emotions. This is Wilhelm growing up.

Kristina sees this too, sees that this isn' t the tantrum of an angry teen, but the realization of a young man who knows who he is and what he wants.

We're seeing her accept something that she's known, instinctively, was going to happen from the second Wilhelm became the Crown Prince. What can she do but let him go? As neglectful and unfair of a parent as she may be, I do genuinely believe she loves him. Closing that door would have meant losing him forever.