Noel became Admiral Superintendent of Naval Reserves in May 1900, and hoisted his flag on board the battleship HMS Alexandra. In April the following year he transferred to HMS Revenge, and on 5 November 1901 he was promoted to vice admiral. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1902 Coronation Honours on 26 June 1902, and received the insignia in an investiture on board the royal yacht Victoria and Albert outside Cowes on 15 August 1902, the day before the fleet review held there to mark the coronation. Noel took part in the review with the Revenge.
