I think it's fair to compare him to Shining Armor, as both characters are relatively young and handsome male royal figures who have been massive positive influences on those around them (Thorax to his hive, Shining Armor to his sister and probably others), but have still retained their previous dorkiness after assuming their leadership roles (this is a little more obvious for Shining Armor if you factor in how he appears in the IDW comics). Sure, Twilight herself gets a bit into this, but mostly the development parallels are with Shining.