The "Princess" and "Faction Leader" events have been appearing and their frequency has appeared normal to me. Cheers mate, I'll delete those lines and carry on carving up the poor old Turks with my Armenian allies (can't let them get too big before I turn on them too!)
As for my "distant" allies it all depends on who attacks who first, as it's my policy never to support the aggressor, unless we share a border. By the time either is within striking distance my Pax Romana juggernaut will have so much impetus that they'll probably roll over and give up.
This 1.0a campaign is so much more challenging than 0.1a. Money is a lot tighter, armies take longer to recruit, and I'm having to work a lot harder coordinating everything - bloody excellent!
P.S. Love those little trading galleons and traders wandering along my roads. They're so cute.