[2] Prayut served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2010 to 2014[3][4] and led the coup d'état which installed the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta which governed Thailand between 22 May 2014 and 10 July 2019.

[7][8] He later sought to moderate his profile, talking to relatives of protesters who were killed in the bloody conflict[9] and cooperating with the government of Yingluck Shinawatra,[10] who won parliamentary elections in July 2011.

During the political crisis that began in November 2013 and involved protests against the caretaker government of Yingluck, Prayut claimed that the army was neutral[11] and would not launch a coup.

[42] In the late 2011, Prayut heavily criticised the Nitirat group, led by Worachet Pakeerut and Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, who campaigned for constitutional reform and a change of Thailand's lèse majesté law.

Prayut also told the DSI to stop implicating soldiers in the killing of Red Shirt demonstrators during the 2010 Thai military crackdown and not to disclose publicly the progress of its investigations.

In late 2013, the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT), a sub-group of PDRC, tried to seize army headquarters, demanding that the military join the protests.

[49] In response, Prayut urged protest groups, led by Suthep Thaugsuban, not to involve the military and called on rival sides to resolve the crisis peacefully.

[51] On 20 May 2014, amid the 2013–2014 Thai political crisis, Prayut attempted to bring the rival parties of Yingluck Shinawatra and Suthep Thaugsuban to an agreement, and declared martial law.

Prayut did not inform the caretaker government of Yingluck to declare martial law, and also ordered 14 TV channels to stop broadcasting and warned Thai people not to use social media to stir up disturbance.

He seized control of the media, imposed Internet censorship, declared a curfew nationwide, banned gatherings of five or more persons and arrested politicians and anti-coup activists, some of whom were charged with sedition and tried in military courts.

[60] Preempting normal broadcasting, including Thai soap operas,[61] Prayut sometimes spoke for more than an hour, explaining government policies, warning the media to cease spreading dissenting views, and complaining that people weren't heeding him.

[63] Similarly, Reuters reported in December 2013 that close friends of Prayut, former army chief, Anupong Paochinda, and General Prawit Wongsuwan were supporters of the PDRC.

[87][88] His assets included a Mercedes Benz S600L, a BMW 740Li series sedan, three additional vehicles, nine luxury watches valued at three million baht,[89] US$200,000 in jewellery, and several pistols.

The NCPO had severely repressed freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, detained hundreds mostly without charge, and tried civilians in military courts with no right to appeal.

In late September, Prayut mocked a journalist during a press conference with his infamous sentence "I'll smack you with the podium" after he was asked whether he intended to be prime minister from a coup d'état only, but not from an election.

[103] In late March, Prayut announced that he had asked the king's permission to revoke martial law, which had been in place since the coup, to be replaced with Article 44 of the interim constitution.

[109][better source needed] Announcing the Public Assembly Act, which took effect on 13 August 2015, Prayut said the law requires that protesters apply for permission from police for rallies at least 24 hours in advance.

It also bars protesters from blocking entrances or creating a disturbance at government offices, airports, seaports, train and bus stations, hospitals, schools, and embassies.

[112] Pravit Rojanaphruk commented, "Article 44 essentially means Prayut is the law...It needs to be added that the junta leader can also insist on staying on in absolute power indefinitely".

[118] In November, at the APEC summit at Manila, Prayut told President Barack Obama that concerns about Human rights in Thailand were based on fake news staged by people with bad intentions.

[124] In March, while Prayut attended the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC, he gave an interview to the Voice of America, where he claimed that disaffected politicians, who had fled Thailand following the 2014 coup, had hired lobbyists in the US to spread propaganda discrediting his government.

[129] In August, Prayut said the result of 2016 Thai constitutional referendum was a step towards "a bona fide democracy" and free from corruption, even though the NCPO had banned debate and campaigning from the opposition.

[136] It is believed that Prayut and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda were largely responsible for ensuring the succession of the widely unpopular Vajiralongkorn, in opposition to elements in the military, government, and the public who preferred his far more popular and respected sister Sirindhorn.

[139] On 16 July 2017, Prayut and the legislature issued the Crown Property law, making King Vajiralongkorn in control of the world's largest royal fortune.

On 15 July, netizens were infuriated by the privileged treatment of "VIP guests" who were later revealed to have tested positive for Coronavirus,[156] as well as its failure to boost the heavily affected tourism industry.

Two protesters, including Panupong Jadnok, held signs calling for his resignation prior to the arrival; both were immediately arrested and reportedly beaten by the police, causing outrage on Twitter.

[163] Patrick Jory, a senior lecturer in Southeast Asian history at the University of Queensland, described the unpredictable nature of the King and "his willingness to use violence," and says that he may have pressured Prayut to suppress the protesters.

[165][166]On 28 February 2021, as the movement was trying to rebuild momentum since the jailing of core protesters,[167] the Free Youth group held an event at 1st Infantry Regiment, where Prayut's residence and the headquarter of the King's Close Bodyguard are located.

[192] On 11 July 2023, Prayut announced he would retire from politics and resign as a member of the United Thai Nation Party, but he will continue to serve as acting prime minister until a new government is formed to replace him.

[197][198] Prayut began to live and work as former prime minister in a house located in the area of 1st Infantry Regiment, Phaya Thai District, Bangkok.