4e RE: 2026 Remise de Kepi blanc at the Prytanée | French Foreign Legion Information

On February 12, 2026, recruits from the 1st Platoon, 2nd Company of Enlisted Volunteers of the French Foreign Legion’s 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) officially became legionnaires during a White Kepi Ceremony (Remise de Képi blanc) held at the Prytanée national militaire in La Flèche, a small town in the Sarthe department of northwestern France.

The Prytanée, one of France’s oldest and most prestigious military boarding schools, founded in 1604, hosted the ceremony in its historic ceremonial courtyard (Cour d’Honneur). The new legionnaires arrived after completing a demanding march of over 30 miles (50 km) from the nearby town of Solesmes. The platoon was led by Lieutenant Jean-Baptiste, a graduate of the institution.

The ceremony was presided over by Colonel Jean-Hugues Delhumeau, commander of the 4e RE and also a former Prytanée student. In a notable reversal, the legionnaires were welcomed by Colonel Axel Girard, commander of the Prytanée and himself a former Foreign Legion officer who served with the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2e REP) and commanded the Foreign Legion Detachment in Mayotte (DLEM; 2021-2023).

In the presence of civil and military authorities, as well as students from the preparatory classes for the prestigious Saint-Cyr Military Academy, the young legionnaires donned the iconic White kepi and took the Legion’s traditional oath to serve with “Honor and Fidelity.”

Though they now officially hold the title of legionnaire, the recruits will undergo an additional three months of training before joining operational units.

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