nathaniel archibald was born to captain howard archibald, a successful business magnate, and anne vanderbilt archibald, a member of the vanderbilt family. on the surface, nate seems to be the perfect "golden boy" of the upper east side. he is best friends with chuck bass, with whom he attends the elite st. jude's school for boys. nate has been with girlfriend blair waldorf "since kindergarten". however, he secretly harbors feelings for blair's best friend, serena van der woodsen. they shared a sordid one night stand before the show began, which caused her departure to boarding school. nate's feelings for blair are complicated by his ongoing infatuation with serena and his parents' determination to keep him on a certain path. he later goes on to attend columbia university.