Born in Newton Abbot, Devon, England, Noel was educated in Switzerland, where he fell in love with the mountains, and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

[1] When the First World War started in 1914, Noel was on leave in Britain and he was attached to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, as his own battalion remained in India.

On 8 June 1924 George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set off for the summit and their disappearance added drama to the film, The Epic of Everest (1924).

To promote the film, Noel brought to London a group of Tibetan monks who performed before screenings; the performances of the "dancing lamas" offended Tibetan religious sensibilities and caused a breakdown in diplomatic relations between Britain and Tibet which became known as the "Affair of the Dancing Lamas" and which lasted nearly ten years.

After the first ascent of Everest in 1953, Noel lectured once again about the mountain and his footage and photographs appeared widely in many films and television programmes.