The mother feels more like a ruler first and then a mother second. Not a bad person by any means.
She's not afraid to give leeway to her daughter and is shown to care for her. However, at the end of the day, she's still pitting both her daughters against each other.
And I wager that knight is going to be the real first major roadblock. No doubt trying to separate the two, and watch the explosion happen so that they can condemn the princess.