Came the princes... and made obeisance to the king. — As asking a boon. What their petition was is evident from the context (2 Chronicles 24:18). They sought the royal sanction of the idolatrous forms of worship, after which they hankered.
Then the king hearkened unto them. — Comp. the influence of the young nobles with Rehoboam, 2 Chronicles 10:8.