Born in Lisbon, he was a son of João Carlos Craveiro Lopes, Portuguese army general and 122nd Governor-General of Portuguese India (1929–1936) and his wife Júlia Clotilde Cristiano Salinas.
Lahir di Lisbon, ia adalah putra dari João Carlos Craveiro Lopes, jenderal angkatan darat Portugis general dan Gubernur-Jenderal India Portugis ke-122 (1929–1936) dan istrinya Júlia Clotilde Cristiano Salinas.