Legolas is the Crown Prince (probably). He is generally considered to be uninvolved in his father’s wilder moments but it’s a bit more than just being his son. Son and Heir in a setting that’s big into monarchism.
I think Tolkien would probably argue that doesn’t make him an instrument of the state, necessarily, but Tolkien also thought anarcho-monarchism wasn’t an oxymoron and refused to tell us about Aragorn’s tax policy.
Legolas is the Crown Prince (probably). He is generally considered to be uninvolved in his father’s wilder moments but it’s a bit more than just being his son. Son and Heir in a setting that’s big into monarchism.
I think Tolkien would probably argue that doesn’t make him an instrument of the state, necessarily, but Tolkien also thought anarcho-monarchism wasn’t an oxymoron and refused to tell us about Aragorn’s tax policy.