He was born to an aristocratic and cultured family and raised mostly in Germany. His mother, Jessie Elliot, was the daughter of a wealthy Australian industrialist family. Her family owned property in Algeria, and her father resided there for lengthy periods.
In 1925 he attended the Sufi Movement Summer School, led annually by Inayat Khan at Suresnes in France.
He was accepted by Inayat Khan as a mureed, and given the Sufi name of Momin (meaning faithful), as well as instruction in spiritual practices. He seems to have initially travelled to Australia in order to settle his claim to the family property. In the 1930s the Von Frankenbergs settled on a dairy farm called "Spring Hills" at Camden, on the outskirts of Sydney.
During World World War II, he came under suspicion from the Australian authorities, due mostly to his German background.
He was questioned and his mail was monitored, but he was not interned. Von Frankenberg died in 1950 at the age of 61 and was buried in the Camden cemetery.
