Kathy Hilton Reveals the Special Way She and Husband Rick Celebrated Their 45th Wedding Anniversary (Exclusive)

Kathy also shares the secret to their long union after "getting married so young"

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic Kathy and Rick Hilton in November 2024

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Kathy and Rick Hilton in November 2024

Kathy Hilton and husband Rick Hilton celebrated their latest milestone anniversary with a little European getaway!

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at the Saratoga Supper Club at Design Miami on Monday, Dec. 2, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 65, said she and Rick, 69, toasted 45 years of marriage with a trip to London and Paris. The day after Kathy hosted her annual holiday pajama party at her Los Angeles home, the pair flew overseas.

"We did five days in Paris and seven days in London," she notes. Making their visit to the City of Light extra magical, it snowed. "It was shocking, it was gorgeous. My husband put it on his Instagram," Kathy says of the wintry weather.

Related: Kathy Hilton and Husband Rick Go to the Cheesecake Factory Once a Week for Date Night

Since they were away over Thanksgiving, the couple enjoyed a holiday meal — with "turkey and all the trimmings," — while in London. On their flight home on Dec. 1, they were treated to a Christmas dinner on the plane, complete with one of Kathy's favorite appetizers.

"One thing I do love, and it’s always at all my parties all through the years, are pigs in a blanket and I didn’t realize the Brits — that’s part of their Christmas dinner. So I got another pig in a blanket [on the plane]," she tells PEOPLE.

Amy Sussman/Getty Kathy and Rick Hilton attend the Carousel of Hope Ball in Los Angeles on Oct. 5, 2024

Amy Sussman/Getty

Kathy and Rick Hilton attend the Carousel of Hope Ball in Los Angeles on Oct. 5, 2024

Reflecting on her decades-long marriage to her real-estate mogul husband, the reality star says the secret to their relationship is that they are "best friends."

"And, I was just saying to someone, getting married so young like that — I was 19 and he was 23 — [the key is] just keeping the right people around you, the right influences and being around other couples who are happy [and] have the same values as you," she adds.

Kathy and the Hilton & Hyland co-founder tied the knot on Nov. 24, 1979. They went on to welcome four children together: Paris, 43, Nicky, 41, Barron, 35, and Conrad, 30.

Last month, Kathy shared another detail that has helped keep the couple's marriage strong, telling PEOPLE, "We have not been away from each other for two weeks in all years of marriage."

“I don't think you go to bed without saying, ‘I love you,’ and giving each other a kiss and never in a fight or anything,” she added. “If you have had a disagreement, you always make up before you go to sleep and keep a little mystery and always keep it exciting and fun.”

The two also stay connected with a weekly date night — and it's surprisingly low-key. Back in January, Kathy revealed that she and Rick have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory "once a week."

“All their food is good," she told Page Six of the popular restaurant chain. “Actually, you walk in there, and there are people. We love that! We don’t want to sit in a restaurant with nobody in the room."

Related: Kathy and Richard Hilton's Sweetest Moments with Their Grandkids

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage Kathy and Rick Hilton in March 2023

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Kathy and Rick Hilton in March 2023

With Christmas approaching, Kathy and Rick are looking forward to having their whole family together, including their eight grandchildren. The reality star told PEOPLE at Monday's event in Miami that she has already dropped a hint to Rick about what she is hoping to find under the tree from him this year.

"There is a very pretty crystal inkwell and it’s antique and I’d love to have it. So I put that out there to my husband, so we’ll see," she says.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, and can be streamed the next day on Peacock.

Read the original article on People