If the flailing of the House of Windsor isn't enough to convince you that the very idea of royalty may be bad for a culture, check out the eerie effects on the royal women of Japan:

Japan's Empress Michiko has fallen ill with symptoms linked to psychological stress, the Imperial Household Agency has said.

The 72-year-old empress was suffering from intestinal bleeding, nose bleeds and mouth ulcers, an agency spokesman said.

Empress Michiko will take a short break from her duties to recuperate.

Her daughter-in-law, Princess Masako, has been suffering from a stress-linked illness for several years.

Masako, a former diplomat, has been seen in public only rarely since late 2003 because of what the palace calls an "adjustment disorder".

Her troubles have sparked debate about the lives of royal women within the confines of the very traditional and conservative Imperial Household Agency.