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Originally Posted by davem
Technically yes- if that 'commander' has not established his legal right to command or been accepted by the Government, Army & People.
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Continuing from my previous Devil's Advocate line of thought: Aragorn was, as soon as he started heading to Gondor, the King, if as yet uncrowned. If Boromir accepted his claim as valid (and I would read it that way, even if you would not), then he has to take Aragorn as King right now. The Palantír, for example, responded to Aragorn as it's proper owner immediately, although he had not yet been acclaimed King, unfurled the Royal banner, or been crowned.
A king, if his claim is legitimate (and while Aragorn's claim was legally debatable, the Palantír issue should prove that it is correct) then he is King the INSTANT the previous king died. Now, in Aragorn's case, the last King of Gondor was Eärnur, and the last King of Arthedain was Arvedui- so it's not quite the same situation. But as soon as he revealed his lineage to Boromir in Rivendell, had Narsil reforged, and declared his intent to seek and aid Minas Tirith, he was declaring himself the rightful Heir- and with no King alive, the rightful heir IS the rightful king. To use a modern analogy, the instant Queen Elizabeth II passes away, Prince Charles will BE Charles III, King of Great Britain and Northern Island (and King of Canada, for that matter...).