I see parallels of character between Alexander and Philip in this.

Absolutely. I quite like Philip, and I tend to think that a man who could drag Macedon up by the bootstraps would have to have a fair streak of the bloodyminded about him. Obviously Alexander shared a few of his father's virtues in that department. He learned about kingship from somewhere, after all. They're both men with strong minds and strong wills, and they both have a demanding bitch of a kingdom for a mistress. The diffence when it comes to their personal relationships (at least in my work) is that Philip chooses his kingdom, but Alexander sometimes chooses himself.

With regards to the problems of differing social status, that has its own issues. Clearly being the king's lover comes with its share of hassles - any man with powerful friends is bound to attract powerful enemies. Pausanias seems to have paid the price of that ... and we all know how that ended.