[Morwen]

Originally Posted by Iarwain Ben-adar

Also, people are sayng that Minas Tirith would have been leaderless if Faramir had not been saved; HELLO! Does anybody know the rightful heir to the throne, one of the main characters in the novels, the leader of the Fellowship? ARAGORN! he is the rightful king. So what if Denethor had no more descendants; Aragorn, the RIGHTFUL king, would just claim the throne as he would have even if Denethor or another Steward were ruling. It would not have made a difference if a steward were ruling or not; Aragorn would have claimed his throne after the battle of the Pelennor.

The smooth transfer of power from the Ruling Stewards to the the Heir of Isildur is facilitated by the fact that Faramir, alive and kicking, recognises the claim of Aragorn. And in recognising that claim, Faramir departs from the centuries old Gondorian position that it is the heirs of Anarion rather than Isildur who can claim the kingship. Yes, Aragorn is one of the military leaders responsible for the victory of the battled of the Pelennor Fields. But note that he does not at that point claim the kingship after that battle.

But Imrahil said: "So victory is shorn of gladness, and it is bitter bought, if both Gondor and Rohan are in one day bereft of their lords. Eomer rules the Rohirrim. Who shall rule the City meanwhile? Shall we not send now for the Lord Aragorn?"

And the cloaked man spoke and said: "He is come". And they saw as he stepped into the light of the lantern by the door that it was Aragorn, wrapped in the grey cloak of Lorien above his mail, and bearing no other token than the green stone of Galadriel. "I have come because Gandalf begs me to do so," he said. "But for the present I am but the Captain of the Dunedain of Arnor; and the Lord of Dol Amroth shall rule the City until Faramir awakes. (my emphasis)

RotK, The Houses of Healing

The transfer of power from Steward to King comes later, after Sauron's defeat, with Faramir presenting Aragorn to the people of Gondor as the rightful King and asking that they accept him. It is important that the Steward should do this - the Ruling Stewards who, in the absence of a King, have held power in Gondor for centuries. That the Ruling Steward is prepared to surrender his rule to Aragorn, is a powerful indorsement. Without that indorsement from the Steward it might make it more difficult for Aragorn to press the legitimacy of his claim.